The stage is fully set for the first phase of Rajasthan Urban Local Body Elections 2026, scheduled to take place on September 9 across 162 municipal bodies covering 5,425 wards. This critical phase encompasses 4 municipal corporations, 24 municipal councils, and 134 municipalities, with voters casting their ballots from 7:00 AM until 6:00 PM. District administrations across the state have initiated the systematic dispatch of polling parties equipped with EVM and VVPAT units. Concurrently, Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma executed high-energy campaign drives in Pali and Kota, while the Bharatiya Janata Party enforced strict party discipline by expelling dozens of rebel candidates contesting against official nominees.
CM Bhajan Lal Sharma Leads High-Octane Campaigning in Pali and Kota
In a major campaign push to bolster support for party candidates, Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma undertook extensive visits to Pali and Kota on Tuesday. Upon landing by helicopter at the helipad of Smt. Guman Bai Pannalal Bhansali Government Girls College in Pali, he was formally received by BJP State President Madan Rathore, Cabinet Minister Joraram Kumawat, and Member of Parliament P.P. Chaudhary. The Chief Minister subsequently proceeded to Surajpole to kick off a grand roadshow after interacting with local candidates.
The election parade in Pali journeyed from Surajpole to the historic Somnath Temple, where Chief Minister Sharma offered prayers to Lord Mahadev. The roadshow traversed through major commercial hubs including Sarafa Bazar, Fatehpuriya Bazar, and Pani Darwaja before terminating at Sindhi Colony. Addressing a massive public gathering at Sindhi Colony, the Chief Minister urged residents to support development initiatives. He later chaired an organizational strategy meeting with local party functionaries at Sindhu Bhawan. Following the Pali events, Chief Minister Sharma traveled to Kota, where he addressed a public rally in Kaithunipol and spearheaded an hour-long roadshow across the Kaithunipol police station circle.
Polling Party Dispatches and Security Plans in Jaipur, Bharatpur, and Banswara
Across Jaipur district, voting will take place in 18 urban local bodies comprising 2 municipal councils and 16 municipalities during the first phase on September 9. Polling parties equipped with election supplies were dispatched in two distinct shifts from Shri Bhawani Niketan College of Pharmacy on Sikar Road. Out of 565 designated polling stations in the district, administrators have identified 152 critical booths. Geographically, Chomu leads with 23 critical booths, followed by Shahpura with 20 and Chaksu with 13. Meanwhile, polling for the 150 wards under the main Jaipur Municipal Corporation will be conducted in the second phase on September 11.
In Bharatpur, final training sessions for election personnel were conducted at the Government Women's Polytechnic College ahead of voting across 65 wards. Out of 201 polling stations in Bharatpur, 50 have been designated as sensitive, prompting extra police deployments. Similarly, in Banswara, 99 polling booths have been set up for 60 municipal wards, with 25 sensitive booths receiving heightened security cover following final training sessions at the Haridev Joshi Rangmanch.
Deployment Details Across Alwar, Tonk, Karauli, and Bundi
Administrative machinery in Alwar mobilized 249 polling teams for the city's civic election following specialized EVM-VVPAT training at the Government Babu Shobharam Arts College campus. Additional teams were dispatched from respective regional headquarters to cover Ramgarh (35 teams), Naugawa (20 teams), Malakheda (20 teams), and Bahadurpur (25 teams), alongside a 10 percent reserve contingency force.
In Tonk district, polling preparations were completed across 135 wards spread over 5 urban bodies, including Niwai (40 wards), Deoli (35 wards), and 20 wards each in Uniara, Dooni, and Peeplu. In Karauli district, 66 polling parties were deployed for the 55 wards of Karauli Municipal Council, alongside 20 teams each for Mandrayal and Sapotra municipalities from the Government College campus, under the supervision of ADM Jagdish Prasad and Returning Officer Rakesh Kumar Rawat. In Bundi city, Dei, Keshoraipatan, and Indragarh, election personnel and police staff also exercised their franchise via postal ballots ahead of polling day.
Local Unrest in Amer, Campaign Interruption in Sridungargarh, and Deshnoke Seizure
The election atmosphere witnessed local tension in Amer, Jaipur, following the fatal stabbing of tourist guide Manish Soni. Outraged family members and residents staged a sit-in protest and enforced a complete market shutdown. To manage the volatile situation, police deployed heavy reinforcements and implemented traffic diversions around the area.
In Sridungargarh's Momasar Baas locality, a public interaction event held by BJP MLA Tarachand Saraswat experienced commotion. As the lawmaker outlined government achievements, local youths and residents raised sharp questions regarding unaddressed civic grievances. The dialogue escalated into arguments and anti-party slogans before police personnel intervened to restore calm.
Meanwhile, in Deshnoke, police seized a black Creta vehicle transporting illegal alcohol intended for distribution. Officers recovered 141 pouches of country liquor, 96 pouches of Indian Made Foreign Liquor, and 12 glass bottles of spirits. Search of the vehicle yielded official election documents and a party scarf belonging to Congress leader Omdan, whose wife is contesting as the Congress candidate from Ward 7. Deshnoke police have launched a formal investigation into the origin and destination of the contraband.
BJP Expels 41 Rebels Statewide as Strict Dry Day Orders Take Effect
To enforce internal discipline, the Bharatiya Janata Party has cracked down on leaders contesting independently or opposing official candidates. The party announced the 6-year expulsion of 41 key office-bearers statewide, including 26 leaders from Jaipur alone. In Ajmer, 6 prominent figures were expelled, including independent candidate Hema Gehlot from Ward 4, her husband Dharmendra Gehlot (spouse of a former mayor), BJP Ajmer General Secretary Shankar Singh Rawat, former councillor Hemlata Bansal, former mandal president Prakash Bansal, and Renu Yadav.
Campaigning also concluded in Nathdwara (Rajsamand district), where 29,355 registered voters (15,244 male, 14,109 female, and 2 transgender voters in Ward 11) will elect representatives across 40 wards. Ward 2 stands as the largest constituency with 1,012 voters, while Ward 12 is the smallest with 406. To ensure peaceful proceedings across all 309 urban bodies involved in both election phases, the excise administration implemented dry day restrictions. Alcohol sales remain banned from 6:00 PM on September 7 to 6:00 PM on September 9 for Phase 1, followed by a second dry period from 6:00 PM on September 9 to 6:00 PM on September 11 for Phase 2, as well as a full dry day during vote counting on September 14.
