Rajasthan Urban Elections
Vote Counting Begins for Ten Rajasthan Urban Local Bodies After Recent Polling
Anonymous
Key Points
1
Pindwara Municipality in Sirohi district has 25 wards and 25 polling booths, all serving up to 1,400 electors. Of 193 nominations filed, 19 were withdrawn, 72 rejected and four discarded, leaving 98 candidates in the contest.
2
Salumber Municipal Council, in Salumber district, has 25 wards and 25 polling booths. It received 108 nominations; after 13 withdrawals, 28 rejections and five discarded nominations, 62 candidates remained in the race.
3
Bap Municipality in Phalodi district recorded 171 nominations for its 20 wards. Forty-five nominations were withdrawn, 51 rejected and eight discarded, leaving 67 candidates contesting across 20 polling booths.
4
Phalodi Municipal Council had 333 nominations for 40 wards, with 77 withdrawals, 98 rejections and 31 discarded nominations leaving 127 candidates. Its 41 polling booths all served up to 1,400 electors.
5
The election timetable began with the gazette notification on August 27; nominations were scrutinised on September 1, and September 3 was the final date for withdrawing candidatures.
Vote counting began at 8 a.m. on September 14, 2026, for 10 Rajasthan urban bodies after two-phase polling concluded on September 11. The contests span Pindwara, Salumber, Bap, Phalodi, Gudamalani, Dhorimanna, Siwana, Sindhari, Jasol and Balotra, with municipalities ranging from 20 to 55 wards and overall voter turnout hitting News18 73.21% across all 309 urban local bodies statewide.
Voter participation varied widely across the 10 bodies, from 65.46% in Pindwara to a state-high 91.6% in Dhorimanna, according to News18 reports. Balotra drew the most candidates with 167 contesting 55 wards, while Phalodi saw 127 candidates fight for 40 wards. Two Dhorimanna candidates won unopposed, part of 77 uncontested wins statewide.
How Nominations Filtered Down to Final Candidates
Pindwara Municipality received 193 nominations for its 25 wards after the August 27 gazette notification opened nominations. After scrutiny on September 1 and the September 3 withdrawal deadline, the field shrank to just 98 candidates. Of the original filings, News18 reported 19 were withdrawn, 72 rejected and 4 discarded.
Phalodi faced steeper competition. Its 333 initial nominations dropped to 127 candidates after 77 withdrawals, 98 rejections and 31 discards, according to News18. Bap Municipality's 171 nominations narrowed to 67 candidates following 45 withdrawals, 51 rejections and 8 discards. Salumber's process was similarly tight: 108 nominations filtered to 62 candidates.
Turnout Swings Wide From 65% to Nearly 92%
Pindwara recorded the lowest turnout at 65.46%, while Dhorimanna hit 91.6% — the highest among the 10 bodies, News18 data shows. These swings underscore uneven voter engagement across Rajasthan's urban areas. Most constituencies exceeded the statewide Phase 2 average of 70.68%, though Phase 1 bodies like Gudamalani and Jasol achieved 76.42% overall.
BJP and Congress Emerge From Statewide Contest
Across all 309 urban bodies and 10,244 wards, the BJP won 4,179 seats while Congress captured 3,613 seats, according to News18 final tallies. Independent candidates proved pivotal: 2,273 won seats statewide, giving both major parties leverage in forming coalitions. Other parties including RLP, AAP, CPI(M), BSP and BAP combined for 170+ seats.
Hindustan Times noted the BJP controlled 4 of 10 municipal corporations but faced resistance in secondary urban centers where independents and regional parties held sway. Rediff highlighted Congress's narrow loss in vote share — trailing the BJP by just 0.94 percentage points statewide. This tight margin fueled opposition claims of comeback strength despite the overall seat deficit.
Repolls and Chairperson Elections Loom Ahead
The State Election Commission ordered repolls for nine wards in select municipalities on September 16 due to EVM glitches, News18 reported. These technical audits will affect bodies in Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota and Suket before final board formations proceed. The SEC also issued notifications for chairperson and mayor elections across 305 of the 309 bodies, with voting set for September 21-22.
Sentiment
Mostly NegativeNEGATIVENEUTRALPOSITIVE
Publishers
224
Articles
45
Reach
269
Topics
A
AnonymousAuthor
