BJP Secures Mayoral Wins Across Three Major Municipal Bodies in Rajasthan

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party won mayoral elections across three major municipal corporations in Rajasthan on Friday. BJP candidates took charge in Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Kota following polls decided by elected councillors.

Election Results

Sunil Kothari won the Jaipur mayoral seat for the BJP by securing 89 votes. He defeated Congress candidate Sunita Gupta Mawar, who received 60 votes, with backing from 11 Independent councillors. In Jodhpur, Prasanna Chand Mehta won the mayoral post by defeating Congress candidate Rajendra Solanki by 53 votes to 47. Anusuiya Goswami won the mayoral contest in Kota for the BJP by getting 65 votes against Congress candidate Sunita Suman, who earned 35 votes. In a separate contest for the chairperson of Suket municipality in Kota district, BJP candidate Jitendra Chopra defeated Congress candidate Umardeen Khan by a margin of one vote, taking 13 votes to Khan's 12. Voting figures in Jodhpur and Kota exceeded the declared numbers of councillors belonging to rival parties.

Protests And Allegations

Polling in Jaipur saw tense moments when Congress MLA Rafiq Khan staged a sit-in protest after security denied him entry into the municipal corporation premises. Khan and other Congress leaders alleged that officials were stopping party councillors from casting their votes. Khan, who represents the Adarsh Nagar Assembly constituency, stated that he planned to move a privilege motion regarding the incident. He accused the BJP government of misusing the administrative machinery before officials intervened to lift the protest.