Jaipur, Sep 22 (IANS) The picture is now clear for the Jaipur Municipal Corporation Mayoral election as Congress Councillors Sunita Methi and Dashrath Atal have withdrawn their nominations, leaving a direct contest between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Sunil Kothari and Congress candidate Sunita Mawar.
The deadline for withdrawal of nominations ended at 3 p.m. on Tuesday.
The Jaipur Municipal Corporation has 150 Councillors—78 from the BJP, 57 from the Congress and 15 Independents.
The Mayor will be elected on September 25.
Meanwhile, voting for the posts of Deputy Mayor and Deputy Chairperson has begun across several municipal bodies in Rajasthan.
Councillors are voting to elect Deputy Mayors and Deputy Chairpersons following the completion of elections for Mayor and Chairperson posts.
Elections for Mayor and Deputy Mayor in the Jaipur, Jodhpur and Kota Municipal Corporations are scheduled for September 25.
The Jaipur Mayoral election will now be a direct contest between BJP’s Sunil Kothari and Congress’s Sunita Mawar.
Sunita Methi and Dashrath Atal have withdrawn their nominations following the 3 p.m. deadline. Both had initially filed their papers as covering candidates.
The 150 Councillors of the Jaipur Municipal Corporation will vote on September 25.
A candidate needs 76 votes to secure a majority in the 150-member corporation.
The 15 Independent Councillors could therefore be significant in determining the outcome.
Political discussions over possible cross-voting within the BJP have intensified following the Sirohi Municipal Council Chairperson election.
BJP’s official candidate Pooja Mali received five votes, while the BJP reportedly has 10 Councillors in the council. This has led to speculation that some BJP Councillors may have voted against the party candidate.
Before the election, five BJP Councillors were reported to have visited Saraneshwar Mahadev Temple and pledged support for the party candidate.
Following the result, the voting pattern has become a subject of political discussion.
However, the election was conducted through a secret ballot, and there is no official confirmation identifying any particular Councillor as having cross-voted.
BJP’s Urmila Saini has been elected unopposed as Vice-Chairperson of Mahwa Municipality in Dausa district.
Congress candidate Rambabu Saini withdrew his nomination before the deadline, leaving Urmila Saini as the only candidate in the political contest.
She was subsequently declared elected unopposed.
Earlier, Vineet Bansal had also been elected unopposed as Chairperson of the municipality.
The BJP celebrated the unopposed election to both the Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson posts.
Congress-backed candidate Poonam Shekhawat has been elected Vice-Chairperson of Tibbi Municipality in Hanumangarh district.
Two candidates had filed nominations for the post, but one withdrew before the deadline.
Poonam Shekhawat was subsequently declared elected unopposed.
Congress workers and supporters celebrated her election.
A day earlier, Congress’s Devi Lal had been elected Chairperson of the municipality by a margin of four votes.
The contest for Deputy Chairperson of the Jaisalmer Municipal Council has been reduced to two candidates after Congress-backed Councillor Sahil Singh Mahecha withdrew his nomination.
The remaining candidates are BJP-backed Madhubala Devisingh Chauhan and Congress-backed Premlata Chauhan.
The two candidates are sisters-in-law, making the political contest notable locally.
The Jaisalmer Municipal Council has 45 Councillors—25 BJP, 16 Congress and four Independents. Voting is scheduled from 2:30 to 5 p.m., followed by counting.
Voting for the post of Deputy Chairperson in the Kishangarh Municipal Council in Ajmer district is underway at Swami Vivekananda Hall.
The polling is being conducted under the supervision of Returning Officer Anil Kumar Chaudhary.
BJP candidate Manendra Singh Khangarot and the Congress candidate are contesting for the post.
Further updates will follow as voting and counting progress.
With the withdrawal deadline now over, the Jaipur Mayoral election has entered its final phase.
BJP’s Sunil Kothari and Congress’s Sunita Mawar are the two candidates remaining in the political contest.
The 150 Councillors will vote on September 25, after which counting will take place.
The focus will now be on how the 15 Independent Councillors vote in the Mayoral election.
–IANS
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