The recent elections for municipal corporation chiefs across Rajasthan have delivered a major political shift, exposing sharp strategic differences between the two main parties. Although the vote share difference between the Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress stood at less than one percent, the final outcome tilted heavily in favor of the BJP. Even in vital municipal corporations like Pali and Ajmer where Congress enjoyed a clear numerical lead, the party failed to form boards. The party struggled to retain independent councillors, and its elaborate strategy of sequestering elected representatives collapsed on voting day.
Severe Setbacks for Congress in Pali and Ajmer
Congress experienced its most humiliating losses in Pali and Ajmer, where extensive preparations yielded nothing. In Pali, Congress emerged as the single largest party by winning 29 wards. However, when the mayoral election took place, the party's candidate secured just three votes. Rather than gaining independent support, 26 of Congress's own councillors engaged in cross-voting to overturn the mandate completely. In Ajmer as well, Congress exerted immense effort to protect its councillors, but BJP breached the perimeter effectively when balloting commenced.
BJP Captures Six Out of Seven Corporations
Out of 309 urban local bodies in Rajasthan, there are 10 municipal corporations, and elections for heads were conducted across seven: Bharatpur, Bhilwara, Udaipur, Ajmer, Pali, Bikaner, and Alwar. The BJP captured mayoral posts in six of these seven corporations. In Bhilwara and Bharatpur, BJP nominees had already been elected unopposed prior to the voting day. In Udaipur, the BJP enjoyed an outright majority, facilitating an easy board formation. On the other hand, Congress managed to secure a majority only in Bikaner, where it successfully installed its mayor. In Alwar, BJP lacked an absolute majority but held an edge, which it leveraged by bringing independent councillors on board.
The Ajmer Math: Four Seats Short and a Flight to Karnataka
The Ajmer Municipal Corporation consists of 80 wards, setting the majority mark at 41. The poll results delivered 37 seats to Congress, 32 to BJP, and 11 to independent candidates. Congress was just four seats away from the majority threshold and claimed the backing of three independents. Fearing political poaching, Congress leadership decided not to keep the councillors anywhere within Rajasthan and instead flew them out to Karnataka.
Under the supervision of senior Ajmer Congress leader Dharmendra Rathore, an associate of former chief minister Ashok Gehlot, the councillors were flown to Bengaluru. While camped there, Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge visited and interacted with them. On the Sunday preceding the vote, the councillors were flown back to Jaipur, accompanied by party national general secretary KC Venugopal. In Jaipur, they were taken directly to Ashok Gehlot's residence. Simultaneously, Congress attempted to enlist two Muslim councillors to solidify its board formation.
Voting Day Turns the Tables in Favor of Anamika Sharma
On Monday morning, all sequestered councillors were transported together by bus from Jaipur to Ajmer under tight surveillance to cast their ballots. For the Ajmer mayoral contest, Congress fielded Kiran Garhwal, while BJP nominated Anamika Sharma. The race was a direct contest, yet the outcome shifted dramatically during voting. The BJP already had its 32 original councillors alongside six rebel independents who had rejoined its fold.
BJP managers then successfully swayed the remaining independent councillors who had previously aligned with Congress. As a result, all independent votes gravitated toward the BJP candidate. When the final tally was declared, Anamika Sharma of the BJP secured 43 votes, whereas Congress candidate Kiran Garhwal remained stuck at 37 votes. Despite the long flight to Bengaluru and intervention by senior leaders, Congress lost the contest, leaving BJP firmly in control of the Ajmer Municipal Corporation.
