Full Breakdown
Gehlot Accuses BJP of Horse-Trading Ahead of Rajasthan Urban Local Body Elections
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Core Event
On September 17, 2026 former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot alleged that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was offering financial incentives of Rs 1.5 crore to Rs 2.5 crore to newly elected councillors to secure their support for mayoral and chairperson posts. He claimed that ministers and officials were being deployed to pressure councillors, that police and administrative machinery were being misused, and that an IAS officer in the chief minister’s office was influencing collectors and sub-divisional magistrates. Gehlot said these practices threatened the integrity of civic governance.
Data & Statistics
- Final ward tallies after repolling: BJP 4,182, Congress 3,619, Independents 2,273.
- Vote-share: BJP 35.19 %, Congress 34.25 % – a margin of 0.94 percentage point.
- In Jodhpur, Congress obtained 42.22 % of votes (14,282 more than BJP’s 39.41 %). Both parties initially won 44 wards each before the repoll-decided ward.
- In Jaipur, Congress received 14,620 more votes overall despite the BJP winning more wards.
- Gehlot asserted that the BJP failed to secure a clear majority in 223 of the state’s 309 urban local bodies and held a majority in only four of the ten municipal corporations.
Official Statements & Responses
Gehlot framed the alleged inducements as a “looting of democracy” and warned that money-driven mayoral appointments would lead to corruption in municipal services such as roads, drains, and land deeds. He also blamed delimitation of municipal wards for distorting the conversion of votes into seats.
In response, Jawahar Singh Bedham, minister of state for home, dismissed the accusations as baseless and shifted criticism to the Congress, recalling past controversies in which the former government allegedly bought support from BTP MLAs.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Democracy is being openly looted in Rajasthan,” — Ashok Gehlot, former rajasthan chief
- “Every political party should get a level playing field for free and fair elections. However, such an environment is not visible in the ongoing process of forming governing boards in the civic bodies,” — Ashok Gehlot, former rajasthan chief
- “Gehlot should recall how he saved his govt by buying the support of BTP MLAs when it was facing a crisis,” — Jawahar Singh Bedham
Background & Context
The accusations emerged as parties vie for the support of independents and opposition councillors ahead of indirect elections for mayors and chairpersons in 305 urban local bodies scheduled for September 21, 2026, followed by elections for deputy positions on September 22, 2026. The outcome will determine control of municipal administrations across Rajasthan, a state where the BJP and Congress are closely matched in vote share but differ markedly in ward allocations.