Rajasthan CM Bhajan Lal Sharma Maintains His Ground In Urban Body Polls

The poll bugle has been sounded in Rajasthan as the state government under Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma faces its first electoral test almost halfway through its term.

As the results for the Urban Local Body polls trickled in through the day on Monday, the news for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seemed favourable but included some setbacks.

While the BJP was leading in the majority of the 309 Urban Local Bodies, the Congress party was also trying to revive itself in the state and make a comeback before the Assembly elections in December 2028.

The worst impact of the Urban Local Body (ULB) results was faced by Vasundhara Raje, BJP national vice president, as the BJP trailed in both Jhalawar and Dholpur, the two bastions of the former chief minister, against the Congress.

The results of the Urban Local Body polls suggest that the BJP has managed to maintain its lead over the Congress for the third consecutive time. The BJP defeated the Congress in the 2023 Assembly polls and later managed to capture a majority of the Lok Sabha seats. During the general elections, the BJP won 13 out of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan.

The contest in Jodhpur Urban Local Body was also interesting, as Jodhpur is represented by two stalwarts of both the BJP and Congress. The fight for Jodhpur has always been captivating because the historic city is represented by Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Ashok Gehlot, the tallest leader of the Congress and former chief minister of the state.

Even though counting was still going on, the electoral contest in Jodhpur was a close one, with both the BJP and Congress leading in 44 wards each out of the 100 wards.

There was some good news for Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma as the BJP continued to maintain its lead in Jaipur, which is the largest Urban Local Body with 150 wards. The chief minister received further good news as the BJP also led in Sanganer, which is represented by him.

The BJP suffered a setback in Bikaner, which is represented by Arjun Ram Meghwal in the Lok Sabha, as the Congress was clearly leading in the Urban Local Body polls in Bikaner.

Ahead of the Assembly elections in December 2028, the BJP has managed to maintain its lead in Udaipur and Chittorgarh in the ongoing Urban Local Body polls. The Udaipur and Chittorgarh region represents a crucial tribal voter base in Rajasthan, and it is important for the BJP to maintain its dominance in the region before the Assembly elections.

The BJP has another reason to smile in the Urban Local Body polls, as the party maintained its dominance in Kota, which is represented by Om Birla, the Lok Sabha Speaker.

The ruling BJP has another reason to celebrate, as the party was able to maintain its lead in the Alwar Urban Local Body. The city of Alwar is crucial for the BJP, as the Lok Sabha constituency is represented by Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

The Congress too was holding on to its strongholds, as the party was leading in Tonk, Ajmer and Dausa. The three regions are important because they have been represented by Sachin Pilot, who is a challenger to Ashok Gehlot within the Congress party in Rajasthan.

There is also something to worry about for both Congress and the BJP. The cause for concern for both parties is that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was leading in the Baran Urban Local Body, while Congress was second and the BJP was in third place. The worry for the BJP is greater because the Baran Urban Local Body is part of the Jhalawar-Baran Lok Sabha constituency, which is represented by Dushyant Singh, the son of Vasundhara Raje.