BJP wins Rajasthan civic polls but independents emerge as key players

The Bharatiya Janata Party emerged as the largest party in Rajasthan's urban local body elections, winning 4,179 wards across 309 municipal bodies, but a strong performance by independent candidates has made them decisive kingmakers in numerous hung councils. The Congress secured 3,613 wards, while independents won 2,273, according to final results from the State Election Commission. The BJP secured outright majorities in four of the state's 10 municipal corporations: Jaipur, Udaipur, Kota, and Bhilwara. The Congress won a clear majority in Bikaner. However, in five other corporations-Bharatpur, Jodhpur, Ajmer, Alwar, and Pali-no party reached the halfway mark, leaving independents in a position to determine the formation of the governing boards. The results presented a mixed picture for the ruling party, with significant resistance emerging in the home districts of several senior BJP leaders. In Bharatpur, the home district of Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, independents won 36 of the 65 wards in the municipal corporation, compared to 20 for the BJP and seven for the Congress.