JAIPUR: Voting for the mayoral post in Jaipur, Jodhpur and Kota began at 10:00 AM and will continue until 2:00 PM on Friday. With today's polls, the electoral process will conclude for 308 out of the state’s 309 civic bodies.
In Jaipur Municipal Corporation, 150 councillors will exercise their right to vote to elect the mayor. Contesting the mayoral election are BJP's Sunil Kothari, elected from Ward 112 in the Kishanpole area, and Sunita Mawar, councillor from Ward 118 in the Adarsh Nagar area, representing the Congress.
The BJP holds 78 seats in the municipal corporation, while the Congress has 57, along with 15 independent councillors. The majority mark for the mayoral election is 76, giving the BJP a numerical strength two above the threshold.
However, given the secret ballot system, both parties are working to keep their councillors together and prevent cross-voting. Attention will therefore be focused not only on the numbers but also on the possibility of cross-voting and the role of independent councillors.
In Jaipur, the first mayor under the unified municipal corporation system is being elected following the earlier system of separate ‘Greater’ and ‘Heritage’ municipal corporations.
The election in this new 150-ward corporation will also determine which party gains political control of the new House. While the numbers are significant, the outcome will only be known once the ballots are counted due to the secret ballot process.
In the Jodhpur Municipal Corporation, the contest is between the BJP’s Prasanna Chandra Mehta and the Congress’s Rajendra Singh. The House comprises 45 BJP councillors, 44 Congress councillors and 11 independents.
Rajendra Singh is considered a close confidant of former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot; although he did not contest the councillor election this time, the party placed its trust in him.
The Congress, with 44 seats, needs seven additional votes to reach the majority mark of 51, while the BJP has entered the contest with 52 votes, comprising its 45 councillors and the support of seven independents.
The entire state has its eyes on the Jodhpur mayoral election, given that the city is the hometown of former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. The BJP has claimed the support of 60 councillors, up from its original 45, sparking political speculation. Gehlot arrived at a hotel in Pushkar, Ajmer, where the Congress councillors were being kept together as part of the ‘barabandi’ strategy.
At the resort, Gehlot held one-on-one discussions with independent councillors and the 44 Congress councillors to gather feedback.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Sharma, who had gone to visit Ramdevra, met state BJP president Madan Rathore in Pokaran to get an update on the Jodhpur situation.
A majority of 51 councillors is required to win the mayoral post. Ten independents and one RLP councillor won in the elections, and both parties are focused on securing their support, as any shift in allegiance could alter the political arithmetic.
Meanwhile, in the Kota Municipal Corporation, Anusuiya Goswami is the BJP’s mayoral candidate, while Sunita Kumari is the Congress candidate. The House comprises 57 BJP councillors, 39 Congress councillors and four independents.
The municipal corporation has 100 wards, and the BJP holds a majority in the House. Voting will continue until 2 PM or, if all votes are cast earlier, counting will begin immediately. Kota’s new mayor is therefore expected to be elected by the afternoon.
