Rajasthan civic polls highlights: BJP secures 4 of 10 municipal corporations; Congress blames 'unfair' delimitation | Hindustan Times - Hindustan Times

**Rajasthan Civic Polls: BJP Takes Four Municipal Corporations, Congress Decries Delimitation**

*Jaipur, Sept 15, 2026* – The Urban Local Body (ULB) elections in Rajasthan concluded on Saturday, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerging as the clear front‑runner in the state’s urban landscape. The party secured control of four of the ten municipal corporations up for grabs, including the key seats of Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota and Bikaner. The Indian National Congress (INC) retained two corporations – Ajmer and Bhilwara – while independents and smaller regional outfits captured the remaining four, a performance that has reshaped the overall seat‑share matrix and underscored the growing influence of non‑party candidates in Rajasthan’s cities.

The BJP’s victory margin, though modest, has been hailed by senior party leaders as a “vote of confidence” ahead of the 2027 state assembly elections. In contrast, the Congress has lodged formal complaints with the State Election Commission, accusing the delimitation exercise of being “unfairly skewed” to benefit the ruling party. Congress spokesperson Harsh Vardhan Singh said the redrawing of ward boundaries – announced just two months before polling – “diluted our traditional vote banks and bundled opposition strongholds with BJP‑friendly pockets,” thereby compromising the principle of a level playing field. The Election Commission, however, has defended the process as “transparent and in accordance with statutory guidelines,” and has indicated that no legal challenge has yet been filed.

Beyond party politics, the polls produced a handful of human‑interest stories that captured public imagination. In Jaipur, a first‑time candidate and housewife, Meena Kumari, won a council seat despite battling limited resources, while a young journalist from Alwar, Rahul Mehta, secured a win on a “clean‑city” platform that resonated with Gen‑Z voters. Conversely, several candidates — including a veteran party worker in Udaipur and an independent in Sawai Madhopur — received only a single vote or none at all, highlighting the fragmented and highly localized nature of Rajasthan’s urban electorate. Political analysts say the rise of independents and the prevalence of ultra‑low‑vote winners could force mainstream parties to reassess candidate selection and grassroots outreach before the next state‑wide contest.

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