The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) strengthened its position in Rajasthan's urban local bodies on Friday as its candidates were elected mayors of Jodhpur, Jaipur and Kota municipal corporations. Prasann Chand Mehta won in Jodhpur by six votes, Sunil Kothari secured a clear majority in Jaipur, while Anusuiya Goswami emerged victorious in Kota amid indications of cross-voting in the Congress camp. The results have given the BJP control of mayoral leadership in three major cities of the state.
BJP leader Prasann Chand Mehta was elected mayor of the Jodhpur Municipal Corporation after securing 53 votes against 47 received by the Congress candidate. With 100 councillors taking part in the election, the six-vote margin reflected a closely fought contest.
After his election, Mehta thanked Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, BJP state president Madan Lal and organisation general secretary Ajay Kumar for placing their confidence in him. He said that becoming mayor meant taking responsibility for the entire council and pledged to work with all councillors.
Mehta also outlined immediate priorities for Jodhpur, particularly ahead of Diwali. He said efforts would be made to improve cleanliness, ensure roads are properly maintained and strengthen lighting arrangements across the city.
In Jaipur, BJP's Sunil Kothari was elected mayor with 89 votes, while the Congress candidate received 60. The election followed the recently concluded councillor polls for the city's 150 wards.
The Jaipur civic elections witnessed a multi-cornered contest involving the BJP, Congress, independents and rebel candidates. Around 24.33 lakh voters were registered, with approximately 63.55 per cent exercising their franchise. The councillor election results were declared on September 15, setting the stage for the mayoral contest.
Following his election, Kothari thanked BJP leaders, elected representatives and grassroots workers. He said the responsibility entrusted to him would focus on the development of Jaipur and strengthening the party organisation.
Kothari is also scheduled to meet party workers, friends and supporters in Jaipur on Friday evening as part of a gathering following his election.
The mayoral election in Kota produced another victory for the BJP, with Anusuiya Goswami defeating the Congress candidate. The BJP candidate secured 65 votes, while the Congress nominee received 35.
The voting figures indicate that Goswami obtained more support than the BJP's declared strength. The BJP had 57 councillors, while two of the four independents had already extended support to its candidate, taking the expected tally to 59. The final figure of 65 therefore indicates that additional votes came from outside this group.
Congress had 39 councillors but its candidate received 35 votes, further pointing towards cross-voting. Since the mayoral election was conducted through a secret ballot, the individual voting choices of councillors cannot be established from the result.
The three mayoral elections together mark an important phase in Rajasthan's municipal politics, with the BJP now set to lead civic administration in Jodhpur, Jaipur and Kota. The newly elected mayors will face the task of translating their electoral mandates into improvements in basic urban services, infrastructure, cleanliness and civic management.
Leave Your Comment