Congress secured a clear majority in the Bikaner Municipal Corporation election, winning 42 of 80 wards. BJP won 27, independents 10, and RLP one.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) succeeded in 27 wards, while independent candidates won in 10 wards. The Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) also opened its account with a victory in one seat.
In the elections for a total of 80 wards of the Bikaner Municipal Corporation, 373 candidates were in the fray. In terms of the number of candidates, this was the most contested area in the state's major urban body elections.
In the results that emerged after the counting of votes, Congress has emerged as the largest party with 42 seats, which is more than the number required for a majority.
The prestige of many big faces was at stake in this election. Some won while some had to face defeat.
In ward number 73, Congress candidate Anil Kalla defeated BJP's Deepak Pareek by a large margin of about 800 votes. Anil Kalla is the nephew of senior Congress leader Dr. B.D. Kalla.
With this big victory, he has become one of the main contenders in the race for the mayor's post, which has intensified the activity within the Congress for the mayor's position.
One of the most talked-about results of the municipal corporation elections was the defeat of former mayor Sushila Kanwar Rajpurohit. She was defeated by Kiran Bhati of Congress in Ward 14.
Sushila Kanwar was elected mayor in the last municipal corporation election and was also a member of the BJP's manifesto committee for this election. Her defeat is being considered a major setback for the BJP.
Many candidates from both major parties registered victories, while independents also made their strong presence felt.
From the Congress side, Tija Devi (Ward 4), Manisha Singhal (Ward 5), Geeta Devi (Ward 7), Abdul Wahid (Ward 15), Poonam Chand (Ward 16), Chetna Dotasra (Ward 17), Maqsood Ahmed (Ward 18), Rizwan (Ward 21), Gaurishankar Gehlot (Ward 24), and Mohammed Hussain (Ward 25) secured victories.
In the BJP's account, several seats went to candidates including Deepak Vyas (Ward 2), Shiv Gehlot (Ward 3), Sandeep Gehlot (Ward 6), Bhagwan Singh Medatiya (Ward 8), Vinod Dhawal (Ward 9), Himanshu Sharma (Ward 12), and Surendra Singh Shekhawat (Ward 13).
Among the independent candidates, Kapil (Ward 10), Vikas Siyag (Ward 11), Prateek Swami (Ward 22), Sanjay Rakhecha (Ward 26), Lakshmi Katela (Ward 28), Govardhan Ram (Ward 29), Bhagwati Gaur (Ward 32), and Sushma (Ward 49) registered wins. In ward number 23, Saroj of RLP won and opened the party's account.
In the 80-member municipal corporation, a situation of clear majority has been formed with 42 councillors from the Congress. In such a situation, all eyes are now on the political activities regarding the post of mayor.
After Anil Kalla's victory, discussions about the claim for the mayor's post have intensified in the Congress. At the same time, this election result has become a matter of introspection for the BJP. The role of independent councillors may also be important in the upcoming political equations.
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