Jodhpur: The returning officer Monday rejected objections filed by BJP and Congress against each other’s candidates for Jodhpur Municipal Corporation mayor, clearing both nominations for the Sept 25 election.BJP has fielded Prasann Chand Mehta, while Congress has nominated Rajendra Solanki.Dinesh Joshi, president of Congress’s Jodhpur district legal department, said Mehta’s proposer had objected to Solanki’s nomination, alleging he failed to disclose details of an FIR.Joshi termed the objection baseless and alleged it was filed under pressure from the administration. He said the FIR dated back to 2016 and the state govt had not sanctioned prosecution. A final report was subsequently filed and accepted by the court, he said.Congress objected to Mehta’s nomination, alleging he failed to disclose certain details in his affidavit. Joshi claimed Mehta had not specified the valuable articles he owned or disclosed their weight and other particulars.Meanwhile, Congress won the chairperson’s post in the newly constituted Mathania Municipal Board. Its candidate Leela Devi Meghwal secured 17 of the 25 votes, defeating BJP candidate Indra Devi, who received eight.Congress workers held a victory procession with fireworks and drums. Former Osian MLA Divya Maderna joined the celebrations.Before voting, Maderna had accused local BJP MLA Bhairaram Siyol and the police and administration of attempting to influence the election. She alleged the returning officer was acting under pressure from the ruling side and that govt machinery was being used to form a municipal board against the people’s mandate.Mathania was recently upgraded from a gram panchayat to a municipality.
