The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) extended its dominance in Rajasthan’s urban local bodies after a successful run in the mayoral elections, securing six deputy mayor positions on Tuesday. The party’s performance followed its earlier victories in the mayoral contests and in the selection of chairpersons for municipal councils and municipalities.
In the seven municipal corporations where polling took place, the BJP won the deputy mayor seat in six, while a Congress‑backed independent councillor was elected in Pali. The party’s success was noted across the state’s urban centres, reinforcing its strong position in local governance.
Polling was also conducted in 47 municipal councils and 251 municipalities. In Bikaner, the BJP’s Pankaj Gehlot won the deputy mayor seat despite the mayoral post going to the opposition Congress. In Ajmer, a tie between BJP’s Hemant Sankhla and Congress’s Naurat Gurjar led to a draw of lots, which awarded the seat to Sankhla.
Similarly, in Pali Municipal Corporation, independent Mahboob T. was elected through a draw of lots after both he and BJP’s Vikram Pal Singh received 29 votes each. The BJP also won deputy mayor positions in Udaipur (Dinesh Bhatt over Congress’s Lakshminarain Meghwal) and Alwar (Ajay Poonia over Congress’s Mamta Saini). In Bharatpur, Ambika Saini secured the deputy mayor post, a victory that came despite independent councillors holding a majority of wards.
BJP’s Radheshyam Somani was elected unopposed as deputy mayor in Bhilwara Municipal Corporation, while Jaswant Kanwar was also elected unopposed as mayor in the industrial city. Vote counting at municipal councils and municipalities continued late into the evening, with trends indicating a BJP lead in most areas, suggesting the party is likely to form the governing boards in those bodies.
