The second and final phase of Rajasthan’s urban local body elections began on Friday, September 11, with voting underway in 147 civic bodies across the state. Polling is being held from 7 am to 6 pm, with over 87.60 lakh registered voters set to decide the fate of 18,266 candidates through EVMs.newsable.
Voting is being conducted across 4,774 wards at 9,758 polling booths. The phase covers six major municipal corporations—Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Bikaner, Udaipur and Ajmer – along with several key municipalities and municipal councils.
All eyes are on Jaipur Municipal Corporation’s Ward 49 in Sanganer, one of the high-profile contests of the day. BJP candidate Mukesh Sharma ‘Kaka’, considered close to Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, is facing Congress veteran Dharam Singh Singhania in a closely watched battle.
The contest in Jaipur is politically significant, with the city seen as a major test for both the BJP and Congress in the Chief Minister’s home turf.
First-phase turnout
The first phase of Rajasthan’s civic elections recorded a voter turnout of 76.41 percent. The State Election Commission has set an ambitious target of around 86 percent turnout for the second phase.
