21-year-old Faiz Hasan wins Jaipur ward as BJP leads Rajasthan civic polls

At 21, Congress candidate Faiz Hasan has emerged as one of the youngest new faces in the Jaipur Municipal Corporation after winning Ward 71 in Rajasthan’s urban local body elections. Hasan secured 5,426 votes, defeating Independent candidate Mohammad Salim, who polled 5,256 votes. BJP’s Nisha Gaur finished third.

Hasan’s victory comes amid a notable generational shift in the Jaipur civic polls. Congress had fielded 12 candidates aged between 21 and 29, with Hasan its youngest nominee. The BJP also fielded several young candidates, including 21-year-old Palak Yadav, 22-year-old Yash Ranawat and 23-year-old Shalu Meena.

BJP gains ground across Rajasthan

The Rajasthan urban local body elections have given the ruling BJP an overall advantage, although the results have varied sharply across major municipal corporations.

At an earlier stage of counting on Monday, the BJP had won 3,587 wards against Congress’s 3,050, with results from more than 8,700 of the 10,244 wards where counting was held declared by 2.15 pm. Independents had won 2,024 wards, while the RLP had secured 56, CPI(M) 37, BSP 15, AAP 10 and BAP eight.

As counting progressed, the BJP strengthened its overall position. Later reports put its final tally at more than 4,100 wards, compared with around 3,600 for Congress, while Independents also emerged as a significant force.

The results are being closely watched as a political test for Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma’s BJP government and the Congress ahead of the 2028 Rajasthan Assembly elections.

Congress wins Ajmer and Pali

The major municipal corporations produced a mixed verdict.

In Udaipur, the BJP secured a clear majority in the 80-member municipal corporation by winning 53 wards. Congress won 23, while Independents secured three and CPI(M) one.

Congress performed better in Ajmer and Pali. In Ajmer’s 80 wards, it won 37 seats against the BJP’s 32, while Independents secured 11. In the 65-ward Pali Nagar Nigam, Congress won 29 wards, BJP 21 and Independents 15.

Bharatpur produced another contrasting outcome. Independents won or led in 36 of its 65 wards, compared with 20 for the BJP and seven for Congress. The BSP and RLP won one ward each. Bharatpur is Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma’s hometown.

The strong showing by Independents could prove important in several urban local bodies where no single party has secured a clear majority.

Jaipur results follow two-phase polling

The Jaipur Municipal Corporation has 150 wards. Counting began on Monday after polling was conducted in two phases across Rajasthan’s urban local bodies on September 9 and 11. The Jaipur Municipal Corporation voted in the second phase on September 11.

Across the state, elections were held in 309 urban local bodies comprising 10 municipal corporations, 51 municipal councils and 248 municipalities. A total of 10,245 councillors were to be elected, with more than 1.44 crore voters eligible to participate.

The final turnout across the 309 urban bodies was reported at around 73%, while turnout in the second phase was 70.7%.

The elections have provided an early indication of the political mood in Rajasthan’s urban areas ahead of the 2028 Assembly contest, while the performance of Independents has added another layer to the political calculations of both major parties.