New Delhi [India], September 15 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has narrowly defeated the Congress party by a margin of less than one percentage point in the recently concluded Rajasthan urban local body elections.
Out of the total votes polled across 309 civic bodies, the BJP secured 35.18 per cent (37,35,567 votes) compared to Congress's 34.24 per cent (36,35,952 votes), yielding a razor-thin winning margin of just 0.94 per cent (99,615 votes).
Meanwhile, Independent candidates secured a substantial share, securing a total of 27.38 per cent (29,06,787 votes), while the 'None of the Above' (NOTA) option secured 1.03 per cent (1,09,523 votes), outperforming several smaller parties.
Among the remaining contenders, the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) secured 0.94 per cent (1,00,277 votes), the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) managed to get 0.46 per cent (49,829 votes), CPI(M) secured 0.32 per cent (34,170 votes), the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) obtained 0.28 per cent (30,179 votes), and the Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) recorded 0.13 per cent (14,150 votes).
NOTA polled higher than five regional and national parties, including RLP and AAP, largely driven by local public protests against new UGC regulations.
Notably, the Bharatiya Janata Party secured a resounding victory in the Rajasthan urban local body elections, winning the Jaipur Municipal Corporation board with 78 seats, while independent candidates have emerged as key players in several other civic bodies where no party has secured a clear majority.
Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the BJP's performance in the elections, saying the mandate reflected people's support for the party's policies of good governance and development under the "double-engine" government.
Taking to X, PM Modi thanked the people of Rajasthan for the BJP's victory and said, "Heartfelt thanks to the people of Rajasthan for delivering a resounding victory to the BJP in the municipal elections. This is a testament to the triumph of truth over the echo of lies."
"Through this mandate, my family here has once again made it clear that they fully support the policies of good governance and development under the double-engine government. This will not only propel the state to new heights of progress but also strengthen our resolve to bring prosperity to the lives of every individual. On this occasion, my heartiest congratulations to all the victorious candidates as well as the party's dedicated and hardworking workers," he added.
Out of the 150 wards in the Jaipur Municipal Corporation, results for 146 wards have been declared so far. The BJP has won 78 wards, while the Congress has secured 53 seats and independent candidates have won 15 wards.
The final picture in the four remaining wards will be clear after re-polling at five booths due to technical issues with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Jaipur District Collector Sandesh Nayak said the EVM results could not be retrieved from booths in Ward 9 (Booth No. 111), Ward 18 (Booth No. 235), Ward 25 (Booth No. 343), and Ward 34 (Booth Nos. 477 and 484). (ANI)
Rajasthan Local Body elections: BJP scrapes past Congress by less than 1 per cent margin; NOTA outperforms regional, national parties
