Live: Live: BJP leads in 4 of 7 municipal corporations, Congress in 3

Trends from seven municipal corporations in Rajasthan show the BJP leading in four and the Congress in three, with the two parties locked in a close contest in Alwar.

Of the 309 urban local body seats whose results have been declared, the BJP has won 163 seats, Congress 103, and independent candidates 43.

Results declared for 177 urban local body seats. Counting continues in 10067 seats across 309 local bodies.

Of the 10244 urban local body seats, results have been declared for 117 seats so far.

Counting of votes for 14 civic bodies, for 309 urban local bodies, including 10 municipal corporations, began at 8 am.

Rajesh Rathi of the BJP has been elected unopposed from Ward No. 19 of the Naugaon Municipality.

As many as 77 candidates were elected unopposed ahead of the polls. Of these, 44 were from the BJP, 16 from the Congress and 17 were independents.

The contest is particularly significant for the BJP government led by Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, which is seeking to consolidate its position in urban Rajasthan after coming to power in the 2023 Assembly election.

For the Congress, the civic polls offer an opportunity to demonstrate that it retains a strong organisational base in the state despite losing the Assembly election.

The results will also provide an early indication of voter sentiment in Rajasthan’s urban centres and the relative strength of the two principal parties at the ward level.

Hello and welcome to India Today’s live coverage of the Rajasthan local body elections, where counting of votes has begun across 309 urban local bodies.