BJP to win mayoral elections in three municipal corporations in Rajasthan
Jaipur Municipal Corporation mayor-elect Sunil Kothari along with his wife and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders flash a victory sign after taking over as mayor following his victory in the municipal elections in Jaipur, Rajasthan, September 25, 2026. Kothari got 89 votes to defeat Congress candidate Sunita Gupta Mawar. | Photo credit: PTI
Candidates of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday (September 26, 2026) won mayoral contests in Rajasthan’s three largest municipal corporations in Jaipur, Jodhpur and Kota. The party candidate also won the Suket village chairman election in Kota district by a narrow margin of one vote.
BJP’s Sunil Kothari was elected mayor of Jaipur, while Prasanna Chand Mehta was elected to the post in Jodhpur and Anusuiya Goswami in Kota. The poll numbers in Jodhpur and Kota exceeded the declared number of councilors of the rival parties.
Elections were held through the votes of elected representatives, with the count taking place immediately after voting. Elections in the municipal corporations of Jaipur, Jodhpur and Kota and in Suket municipality were held separately after some constituencies were retaliated due to technical glitches during the urban local elections held earlier this month.
Mr Kothari defeated Congress candidate Sunita Mawar in Jaipur by 29 votes, securing 89 votes against Ms Mawar’s 60, with the support of 11 independent councillors. In Jodhpur, the home district of former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Mr Mehta defeated Congress candidate Rajendra Solanki by 53 votes to 47.
Ms. Goswami defeated Congress candidate Sunita Suman in Kota by securing 65 votes against the latter’s 35 votes, securing a margin of 30 votes. In Suket municipality, BJP candidate Jitendra Chopra got 13 votes while Congress candidate Umardeen Khan got 12, leading to Mr. Chopra’s victory by just one vote.
The Jaipur elections witnessed some tense moments when Congress MLA Rafiq Khan staged a sit-in protest after he was denied entry to the city corporation premises. Mr. Khan and other Congress leaders alleged that party councilors were prevented from casting their votes.
Mr Khan, who represents the Adarsh Nagar Assembly constituency in Jaipur, said he would file a plea for privileged status in the matter. “The BJP government is making political use of the administrative machinery,” Mr. Khan said after a protest against officials’ intervention was called off.
Published – 26 Sep 2026 05:05 IST