BJP Sweeps Kota Municipal Corporation with 50 Seats After EVM Glitches Force Repolling

Kota's municipal corporation elections concluded with a decisive BJP majority after a contested polling process that saw the initial vote deferred due to electronic voting machine malfunctions requiring a repolling exercise. The Bharatiya Janata Party secured 50 seats in Kota Municipal Corporation against the Indian National Congress's 30, in elections that drew national attention after Rahul Gandhi personally campaigned for Congress candidates in the city.

🗳️ Mayor Polls in Kota Deferred After EVM Glitches Disrupt Voting

The scheduled mayoral polls in Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Kota were deferred after electronic voting machine glitches disrupted the voting process in the three Rajasthan cities, requiring election authorities to arrange a repolling exercise for affected wards and constituencies. The EVM malfunctions forced a postponement of results, extending the election cycle and requiring additional administrative preparation for the repolling round. The decision to hold repolling was taken after it was determined that the technical failures had compromised the integrity of the vote count in specific wards, making a fresh round of polling necessary before results could be certified. The simultaneous occurrence of EVM issues across three major Rajasthan cities raised the profile of the disruption and attracted scrutiny of the election management process. For Kota specifically, the deferral added uncertainty to an election that had already drawn significant national political attention owing to the high-profile campaigns mounted by both the BJP and the Congress. The repolling exercise was subsequently completed, allowing the vote counting to proceed and the final municipal election results to be declared for all three cities. [9]

BJP Wins 50 Seats, Congress 30 in Kota Municipal Corporation Vote

The Bharatiya Janata Party secured 50 seats in the Kota Municipal Corporation elections, with the Indian National Congress winning 30 and other candidates accounting for three seats, according to live result tallies tracked at the 10:52 PM count mark on election night. The result delivered a clear and comfortable majority to the BJP in the municipal body that governs civic administration for Kota, one of Rajasthan's major cities and a nationally recognised hub for competitive examination coaching that draws students from across India. The BJP's majority in the Kota municipal corporation provides the party with firm control over the city's civic governance, encompassing decisions on urban infrastructure, local services, and development priorities. The Congress's 30 seats, while representing a meaningful share of the total corporation, fell well short of the majority needed to contest the BJP's hold on the body. The three seats won by other candidates were insufficient to alter the fundamental balance of power between the two main parties. The result was among the clearest BJP victories in the Rajasthan urban local body polls cycle, confirming the party's strong position in Kota's municipal politics. [7]

Congress Loses Kota Despite Rahul Gandhi's Campaign Push for Local Seats

The Indian National Congress suffered a defeat in the Kota Municipal Corporation elections despite deploying Rahul Gandhi to campaign personally for Congress candidates in the city, a move intended to inject national momentum into the party's local contest. Gandhi's campaign presence in Kota signalled that the Congress viewed the city as a priority contest in the Rajasthan local body polls cycle, and his involvement drew heightened attention to the municipal elections. Despite this, the BJP swept the Kota corporation with a majority of 50 seats, with Congress securing 30 — well below the threshold needed for control of the civic body. The Kota result was part of a broader BJP victory across Rajasthan's local body polls, with the party posting what was described as a massive win across the state while Congress lost ground in multiple cities. Congress did manage to win the Bikaner local body contest, but the loss in Kota, a city where the party's national leadership had invested visible campaign effort, was a notable setback. The defeat poses questions for Congress's strategy of using national figures to energise local elections in Rajasthan, a state that has been central to the party's efforts to rebuild its base. [8]

Sources: [9] India Today · [7] News18 · [8] Business Today