BJP Has 10 Councillors, But Gets Zero Votes in Mundwa Chairperson Poll

The 25-ward Mundwa Municipality election saw the BJP win 10 wards, while Congress won 3, the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) won 7 and independents secured 5 seats. However, the chairperson election produced a completely different political picture.

The BJP had fielded Geeta Devi for the chairperson’s post. Despite having 10 elected councillors, Geeta Devi received not a single vote. None of the BJP’s 10 councillors voted in favour of the party’s candidate, according to the election result.

The outcome became the most discussed development in Mundwa’s local politics, as the BJP’s numerical strength in the municipality did not translate into control of the chairperson’s post.

Congress and RLP, meanwhile, supported Alka Devi Kandoi for the chairperson’s election. The two parties had a combined strength of 10 councillors, with Congress holding 3 seats and RLP 7. Alka Devi Kandoi, however, received 13 votes, indicating that three additional votes went in her favour beyond the combined Congress-RLP tally.

Independent candidate Ghanshyam Sadawat, known as Vicky, received 12 votes. Alka Kandoi therefore won the chairperson’s election by a margin of just one vote.

The central political question emerging from the Mundwa election is why the BJP’s candidate received zero votes despite the party having 10 elected councillors. The election result shows that none of those 10 BJP councillors cast their vote for Geeta Devi.

As a result, the BJP’s candidate failed to open her account in the chairperson election despite the party emerging as the single largest group in the 25-member municipality.

At the same time, the 13 votes secured by Alka Kandoi went beyond the 10 councillors belonging to Congress and RLP. The result showed that, apart from the combined support of the two parties, three additional councillors voted in her favour.

Alka Kandoi was elected as the newly elected chairperson of the municipality.

Independent candidate Ghanshyam Sadawat (Vicky) also remained a significant factor in the contest. He secured 12 votes and missed the chairperson’s post by just one vote.

According to the local political developments, Sadawat had earlier won the councillor election on a BJP ticket and had also been politically active as the personal adviser to Rajasthan BJP state vice-president Dr Jyoti Mirdha.

For the chairperson election, the BJP nominated Geeta Devi, while Vicky Sadawat did not receive the party ticket. Following this, he decided to contest the chairperson election as an independent candidate. His eventual tally of 12 votes made him a key figure in the closely fought contest.

The Mundwa result also demonstrated that the party winning the largest number of wards does not necessarily secure the chairperson’s post. The BJP had 10 councillors, but its candidate received zero votes. Congress and RLP joined hands, fielded Alka Kandoi with the support of their combined 10 councillors and secured 13 votes for her.

The political developments surrounding Mundwa Municipality have now centred on the BJP having 10 councillors but its candidate receiving zero votes, Alka Kandoi winning with a one-vote margin and Vicky Sadawat securing 12 votes. The chairperson election has brought the post-election political equations and the role of individual councillors in determining control of local bodies into sharp focus.