Jaipur, September 22, 2026: Rajasthan’s urban local-body elections have produced a closely watched contest between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress, with the election of mayors, chairpersons and presidents drawing attention across the state.
According to results available so far, the BJP has secured the posts of mayor, chairperson or president in 197 of 301 urban local bodies where results have been decided, while the Congress has secured 94. Independent candidates have won seven top posts, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) have each secured one.
The elections for the heads of urban local bodies were held on September 21 in 273 bodies, following the election of heads in 32 bodies without a contest. Rajasthan has 309 urban local bodies in the current election cycle. Elections for the remaining four bodies — including the municipal corporations of Jaipur, Jodhpur and Kota and Suket Municipality — are scheduled for September 25.
BJP and Congress Results
The results show a difference between the distribution of councillor seats and the final election of civic-body heads. In the councillor elections, the BJP won 4,182 of the 10,244 wards that went to the polls, while Congress won 3,619 and Independents won 2,273.
The influence of independent councillors has been significant in several urban bodies where neither major party secured a clear majority. However, Independents have so far obtained only seven of the top civic posts.
The BJP has also secured mayoral positions in six of the seven municipal corporations where elections have been decided so far: Ajmer, Alwar, Bharatpur, Bhilwara, Pali and Udaipur. Congress retained the mayoral position in Bikaner.
Bikaner Remains With Congress
Bikaner provided one of the notable results for Congress. Congress candidate Anil Kalla retained the mayoral position after defeating BJP candidate Surendra Singh Shekhawat by 50 votes to 30 in the 80-member municipal corporation.
The result illustrates how local political dynamics can differ between individual municipal corporations and the broader statewide results.
Role of Independent Councillors
Independent councillors have emerged as important participants in several fractured civic-body verdicts.
In Bharatpur, Independents won 36 of the 65 wards, compared with 20 for the BJP and seven for Congress. Despite the BJP not having a majority of councillors, its candidate Anuradha Singh was elected mayor unopposed.
Similar situations have occurred in other municipalities where the BJP or Congress did not independently hold enough councillors to guarantee control of the top post. The resulting negotiations and voting patterns have therefore become an important part of the civic-election process.
BJP and Congress Respond
Rajasthan BJP president Madan Rathore said the results reflected public support for the work of the BJP government led by Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma. Congress leaders, however, have questioned aspects of the election process and raised allegations concerning the treatment of councillors during the contests for civic-body leadership. These allegations are political claims and have been disputed by BJP representatives.
The contrasting responses have added another dimension to the local-body results, with both parties interpreting the outcome differently.
High-Profile Municipal Corporations
The results across Rajasthan’s larger municipal corporations have not been uniform.
In Ajmer, Congress emerged as the largest group with 37 councillors compared with 32 for the BJP, but BJP candidate Anamika Sharma won the mayoral election with 43 votes. In Pali, Congress won 29 wards, BJP 21 and Independents 15, while BJP candidate Namita Bubakiya won the mayoral election with 33 votes.
In Alwar, the BJP won 28 of 65 wards and Congress 23, with Independents taking 13. BJP candidate Suman Lata Agrawal subsequently won the mayoral election with 42 votes.
These results demonstrate that the party winning the largest number of councillor seats does not necessarily secure the mayoral or chairperson position.
Elections Still Pending
The Rajasthan civic-election process is not yet completely finished. Elections for the heads of the Jaipur, Jodhpur and Kota municipal corporations, along with Suket Municipality, are scheduled for September 25.
In Jodhpur, BJP and Congress each won 44 of the 100 wards, while Independents won 10 and one ward remained undecided in the earlier results. The final leadership contest therefore involves additional political calculations among councillors.
The remaining contests will determine the final distribution of civic leadership positions and complete the current phase of Rajasthan’s urban local-body elections.
What the Results Mean for Rajasthan Politics
The civic-body results provide a picture of political competition at the local-government level, but they should be distinguished from Assembly or parliamentary election results. The outcome varies considerably from one urban local body to another, with BJP, Congress and independent candidates securing influence in different areas.
The large number of independent councillors is also significant because they can become decisive in municipalities where neither BJP nor Congress has an outright majority. The remaining September 25 contests are therefore expected to receive continued political attention.
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