Local civic body elections across Rajasthan delivered unexpected turns of events, highlighted by nail-biting finishes in two distinct municipalities. In Bisau within Jhunjhunu district, Congress secured the municipal chief post by the narrowest possible margin of a single vote. Meanwhile, in Nohar municipality of Hanumangarh district, the Bharatiya Janata Party pulled off an improbable triumph, capturing the chairperson seat despite holding merely two elected councillors of its own.
Congress Prevails in Bisau by a Single Vote Margin
The contest for the chairperson position in Bisau municipality featured a direct fight between Salma Bano of Congress and Sonam Devi representing BJP. Prior to the formal voting, the numerical equation seemed favorable to BJP, which reportedly held the backing of 13 councillors against 12 aligned with Congress.
When votes were officially tallied, the outcome overturned pre-poll calculations. Salma Bano managed to defeat Sonam Devi by a margin of just one vote, securing the top municipal seat for Congress. The razor-thin victory sparked widespread celebrations across Congress ranks while dealing an unexpected setback to BJP, which failed to hold its initial numerical advantage.
The Intricate Numbers Behind Nohar Municipality
Events took an even more dramatic turn in Hanumangarh district's Nohar municipality, where local council elections took place across 40 wards. The initial ward contest results produced 20 seats for Congress, putting the party just one seat away from a clear majority. Conversely, BJP managed to win only 2 seats, while independent candidates clinched the remaining 18 wards.
With 18 independent councillors holding the balance of power, the math demanded that Congress secure just one additional supporter to take the board. BJP, on the other hand, faced the uphill task of uniting all 18 independent winners behind its nominee to mount any serious challenge.
Tie Leads to Deciding Lottery in Nohar Chairperson Race
The chairperson election pitted BJP candidate Hajan Khatoon Tak against Congress nominee Sumit Chachan. The contest carried high political stakes as Sumit Chachan is the brother of sitting Congress MLA from Nohar, Amit Chachan. When the secret ballot concluded, the final tally revealed a complete tie, with both contenders receiving 20 votes each.
This outcome demonstrated that BJP succeeded in securing the backing of all 18 independent councillors, lifting its baseline tally from 2 to 20. Congress, despite starting with a solid foundation of 20 elected members, could not attract a single independent vote to breach the tie.
Faced with an exact 20-20 deadlock, election officials resorted to the statutory lottery draw to pick the victor. Luck favoured Hajan Khatoon Tak as her name was drawn from the lottery, formalizing her election as municipal chairperson and handing BJP control of the civic body in an extraordinary political turnaround.
