Jaipur: Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot made serious allegations against BJP Thursday, accusing the ruling party of using financial incentives and political pressure to sway independent and opposition councillors ahead of the mayoral and chairperson elections in Rajasthan’s urban local bodies.Gehlot claimed BJP members were offering sums ranging from Rs 1.5 crore to Rs 2.5 crore to newly elected councillors to join its camp, asserting that ministers were strategically positioned to facilitate this “horse-trading.”
Ashok Gehlot addresses media at his residence in Jaipur, Rajasthan on 17 September 2026
“Every political party should get a level playing field for free and fair elections. However, such an environment is not visible in the ongoing process of forming governing boards in the civic bodies,” Gehlot said, highlighting concerns over election integrity.Additionally, Gehlot pointed out that while the vote share between BJP and Congress was narrow, their seat tallies reflected a significant gap. He emphasised that BJP lost 6,065 of the state’s 10,244 wards and failed to achieve a clear majority in 223 of Rajasthan’s 309 urban local bodies. BJP held a majority in just four of the 10 municipal corporations, Gehlot said.He said independent candidates and councillors from other parties would play a critical role in places such as Bharatpur, Ajmer, Alwar, Jodhpur, Pali, and Jhalawar. In Bharatpur, for example, while BJP secured 20 seats, independents won 36. In Jodhpur, Gehlot noted that despite BJP winning one more seat than Congress, the latter garnered more overall votes.Gehlot further alleged that BJP’s delimitation of municipal wards favoured the ruling party and accused bureaucrats from Chief Minister’s Office of pressuring collectors and SDMs to assist BJP councillors in forming boards. He claimed that police were being used to intimidate councillors and pressure their families, warning that such practices could severely impact civic governance and public finances.In response, minister of state for home Jawahar Singh Bedham dismissed Gehlot’s allegations as baseless, turning the focus to the previous Congress govt’s alleged corruption. “Gehlot should recall how he saved his govt by buying the support of BTP MLAs when it was facing a crisis,” Bedham added, referring to past controversies involving Congress state leadership.
