# BJP Sweeps Six Out of Seven Municipal Corporations in Rajasthan as Congress Fails in Ajmer and Pali Despite Strong Numbers

> Despite holding a numerical edge in Ajmer and Pali, Congress suffered major setbacks after extensive camping strategies failed, allowing BJP to capture six of the seven municipal corporations in Rajasthan.

**Type:** article · **Category:** Rajasthan · **Published:** 2026-09-22 · **Source:** TrendKia
**Canonical:** https://trendkia.com/en/rajasthan/rajasthan-nikaya-chunavon-men-barabndi-ke-bavajuda-congress-pasta-ajmer-aura-pali-gnvakara-chhaha-nagara-nigamon-para-bjp-ka-parac-36430 · **Language:** English
**Tags:** Rajasthan Civic Polls, Ajmer Municipal Corporation, Pali Municipal Corporation, Congress, BJP, Mayor Election, Ashok Gehlot, Councillor Poaching

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.

## What this means for you
With the BJP securing mayoral posts in six out of seven corporations, urban governance and civic project execution across Rajasthan will experience administrative shifts.

- **Across Rajasthan:** The establishment of BJP-led boards in key cities will streamline civic administration and infrastructure planning under single-party municipal rule. Residents across these urban centres will see new administrative directions regarding sanitation, local taxation, and public amenities.
- **In Ajmer and Pali:** The failure of Congress to hold power despite winning the highest number of wards alters local governance equations significantly. The new mayoral administrations must immediately demonstrate progress on civic grievances to justify the political realignment of independent members.
- **Political Dynamics:** Extensive cross-voting by elected councillors signals heightened party scrutiny and possible disciplinary measures within local cadres. Future civic campaigns will likely witness revamped containment strategies and tighter oversight of independent winners.
- **Civic Development Projects:** Newly elected municipal boards will take immediate charge of pending city budgets and urban development tenders. Local citizens in these cities will need to direct ward-level grievances and civic requests to the newly established leadership.

## Why this happened
The failure of Congress to secure mayoral seats despite early leads stemmed from strategic deficits in courting independent candidates and extensive internal cross-voting.

- **Independent Realignment:** In Ajmer, with Congress at 37 and BJP at 32 seats, the 11 independent winners held the deciding balance. BJP successfully reconciled with six rebel independents while persuading the remaining five to vote in its favor.
- **Internal Rebellion in Pali:** Although Congress secured 29 wards in Pali, 26 of its own councillors crossed party lines during the secret ballot. Weak organisational cohesion prevented the party from retaining its own elected members.
- **Ineffective Sequestration Strategy:** Transporting councillors to Bengaluru and arranging high-level meetings failed to insulate the alliance from tactical maneuvering on voting day.

## Questions & Answers

### 1. How many municipal corporations did the BJP win in Rajasthan?
The BJP secured mayoral positions in six out of the seven municipal corporations: Bharatpur, Bhilwara, Udaipur, Ajmer, Pali, and Alwar.

### 2. Who were the mayoral candidates in the Ajmer Municipal Corporation contest?
The contest was between Kiran Garhwal of Congress and Anamika Sharma of BJP, with Sharma winning by securing 43 votes against Garhwal's 37.

### 3. Where did the Congress sequester its councillors ahead of the Ajmer mayoral vote?
Congress flew its councillors to Bengaluru in Karnataka under senior leadership supervision, where party national president Mallikarjun Kharge also met them.

### 4. How many votes did Congress receive in the Pali mayoral election?
Despite winning 29 wards in Pali, the Congress mayoral candidate received only three votes after 26 party councillors cross-voted.

---
_TrendKia — Har trend, sabse pehle.. Machine-readable view; canonical HTML at the URL above._