Ajmer Mayoral Race Heats Up as BJP Rallies Independents, IT Park Draws 22 Investors

Ajmer's civic life picked up pace this week, with a closely watched mayoral contest drawing political parties into last-minute arithmetic, fresh investment momentum at the city's new technology hub, and a serious highway security incident that put law enforcement squarely on alert.

BJP Rallies Eleven Independents as Anamika Sharma Stakes Her Claim for Mayor

Ajmer's post-election scramble for the mayoral chair took a decisive turn when BJP announced that Anamika Sharma had filed her nomination for the top post, with the party simultaneously claiming the backing of eleven independent councillors. The development, reported on September 16, reflects the complex arithmetic of a civic body in which no single party commands a clear majority on its own. Independent councillors hold disproportionate sway in such a configuration, and BJP's move to secure eleven of them before the vote signals a calculated effort to pre-empt rivals from building their own majority. The recent civic polls had returned a fractured result in Ajmer, leaving both BJP and Congress in pursuit of swing votes rather than in a position to elect a mayor outright. Ajmer's status as the site of the Dargah Sharif and one of Rajasthan's most significant pilgrimage destinations means the mayor's office carries an influence well beyond routine municipal administration. With the mayoral vote approaching, all eyes are on whether BJP's claimed arithmetic holds when the ballots are actually cast and whether Congress can mount a counter before the window closes. [9]

🏢 22 Companies Signal Readiness as Ajmer IT Park Nears Completion

Ajmer's ambitions as a destination for technology employment took a concrete step forward in May 2026 when reporting confirmed that 22 companies had expressed formal interest in the city's new IT park, while the underlying infrastructure was edging toward completion. The milestone matters because Ajmer has historically been a religious and tourism hub rather than a business corridor; an IT park with two dozen interested occupants would mark a meaningful shift in how the city presents itself to skilled workers and investors. That 22 separate companies have signalled readiness reduces the typical single-anchor risk that has hollowed out IT parks in other mid-sized Indian cities — when one flagship tenant departs, a park built around it often struggles to recover. With infrastructure nearing completion, the transition from letters of intent to signed leases and operational offices will be the critical next phase. For Ajmer's working-age residents, the park offers the prospect of quality employment within city limits rather than the longstanding default of relocating to Jaipur or another major metro. The development aligns with Rajasthan's wider effort to draw investment to district headquarters rather than concentrating growth in a handful of existing hubs. [2]

Armed Gang Storms Khedi Toll Plaza; Staff Flee to Rooftop as Police Respond

A Sunday afternoon on the National Highway near Ajmer turned violent when a large group descended on the Khedi toll plaza in a coordinated assault that left workers fearing for their lives. The incident began when toll staff detained a young man who passed through without paying; within a short time, eight or nine vehicles arrived, their occupants — none carrying number plates — immediately launching stone-pelting, a physical assault on staff, and what is alleged to have been gunfire from a revolver directed at the toll office. Facing an overwhelming and armed crowd, the toll workers abandoned their booths and climbed onto the roof of the building to escape. Police response was swift: Ajmer's Superintendent of Police, Harsh Vardhan Agrawala, led a force to the scene in the Bhinaay police station area, and teams from Sarwar, Nasirabad, Srinagar and Sarana stations also converged. In the pursuit that followed, two vehicles were seized and one individual detained, while the search for remaining suspects continued. The episode cast a sharp light on the everyday vulnerability of toll collection staff on National Highways, where confrontations with drivers who refuse to pay can escalate rapidly and backup may be many minutes away. [5]

Sources: [9] The News Mill · [2] Elets eGov · [5] Bhaskar English