JAIPUR, September 14: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has emerged ahead in Rajasthan’s urban local body elections as counting continues across the state, with current trends indicating a strong performance in several municipal corporations, councils and municipalities.
Voting was held in two phases on September 9 and September 11, and counting began on Monday morning for 309 urban local bodies across Rajasthan. More than 1.44 crore voters were eligible to participate in the civic elections.
BJP Ahead Across Large Number of Urban Bodies
By Monday afternoon, BJP was leading in a large number of local bodies across Rajasthan. The latest trends reported by The Indian Express showed the party well placed in several major municipal corporations as well as dozens of municipal councils and municipalities.
The performance is being seen as politically significant for Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, whose government is more than halfway through its current term.
The civic elections had become an important test for both the BJP government and the opposition Congress ahead of the 2028 Rajasthan Assembly election.
BJP Performs Strongly in Jaipur
One of the BJP’s most important results came from the Jaipur Municipal Corporation, where the party won 63 wards, compared with 44 wards for the Congress, according to results reported on Monday.
Counting was conducted under tight security, with access to counting centres restricted to authorised officials and representatives.
Jaipur was among the most closely watched contests because of its political importance as the state capital and the large number of wards involved.
Congress Scores Major Win in Jhalawar
Despite BJP’s overall advantage, Congress recorded a significant victory in Jhalawar Municipal Council, winning 29 of the 45 wards.
The result is particularly notable because Jhalawar has traditionally been regarded as a BJP stronghold and is closely associated with former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje.
Congress has also shown competitive strength in several other areas, including parts of Ajmer, Bikaner and Pali, even as it trails BJP in the statewide picture.
Independents Could Become Important in Close Contests
Independent candidates are also performing strongly in several urban bodies and could play a crucial role where neither BJP nor Congress secures a clear majority.
In such councils and municipalities, independents may become important during the formation of local boards and the election of chairpersons and other office-bearers.
High Turnout Recorded in Two-Phase Polling
The civic polls witnessed strong voter participation.
According to election data reported by The Indian Express, the first phase recorded approximately 76.42% turnout, while voting in the second phase stood at around 70.68%.
The elections covered thousands of councillor positions and were among Rajasthan’s largest local electoral exercises in recent years.
Results Seen as Political Test for BJP and Congress
For the BJP, a strong performance would strengthen Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma ahead of the second half of his government’s term.
For Congress, the results provide an opportunity to assess its urban support base after losing power in the 2023 Assembly election.
However, with counting and board-level calculations still developing, the final statewide political picture will become clearer once all results are officially declared.
source – The Indian Express / Times of India
Supreme News Network
