Why Rajasthan civic election is CM Bhajan Lal Sharma's mid-term referendum

With the Bhajan Lal Sharma government leading a high-voltage campaign, the municipal polls are also a major test of the ruling BJP's performanceRajasthan’s urban electorate is voting in elections that could turn out to be much more than a contest for councillor posts. Across 309 urban local bodies in 41 districts, voters are electing 10,245 councillors in a two-phase exercise (September 9 and 11), with counting scheduled for September 14. The exercise covers 10 municipal corporations, 51 municipal councils and 248 municipalities.The principal fight is between the ruling BJP and the Congress, but the larger contest is over the performance and political standing of chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma. These are the first major elections since the BJP government came to power in December 2023 and subsequent Lok Sabha elections wherein the party did not do well. Therefore, the councillor elections are the closest thing to a mid-term referendum on Sharma so far.There is, however, a caveat. Rajasthan’s urban elections have never been a simple referendum on the state government. Local candidates, caste equations, rebels and Independents matter enormously. The evidence suggests the ruling party often has an advantage, but certainly not an automatic one.What makes the current election particularly interesting is Sharma’s decision to lead the campaign himself. He has travelled extensively, holding roadshows in major cities. That is both an opportunity and a risk. A strong BJP performance will allow Sharma to claim personal credit for having taken the party’s campaign to the streets. A weak showing, particularly in the larger corporations, could conversely raise questions about the impact of his campaign. One interpretation is that Sharma is confident of victory and wants ownership of it. Another is that the BJP recognises that several contests are close and believes the chief minister’s personal intervention can swing marginal wards.The party has simultaneously deployed ministers, MLAs and MPs extensively in their respective areas. That could provide the BJP with another layer of political accountability: a poor result in a particular constituency can be attributed to the local political leadership rather than immediately becoming a verdict on the chief minister. At the same time, the presence of rebels and disgruntled aspirants makes internal management crucial. The BJP has already expelled rebels in the run-up to the polls.For the Congress, the stakes are equally high. Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot has repeatedly attacked the Sharma government and appealed to voters to ‘punish’ the BJP. Congress state chief Govind Singh Dotasra has made the civic polls a platform to attack the government over issues such as urban finances and reservation. A poor Congress performance would, therefore, raise questions about whether the party’s sustained anti-government campaign has translated into votes.Social arithmetic is another subtext. Both parties have sought to accommodate OBC candidates beyond the proportion of reserved seats, producing resentment among sections of the general category. But rather than proving that OBC reservation is no longer necessary, this arguably demonstrates the political importance of OBC communities and the competition among parties to represent them.The election is also witnessing a notable BJP experiment: after fielding no Muslim candidate in the 2023 assembly and 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan, the party says it has fielded 480 Muslim candidates across the state in the civic polls. Women, meanwhile, account for nearly 36 per cent of all candidates in the statewide civic contest.Perhaps the most revealing feature will come after voting. Parties and Independents are preparing for what is euphemistically called ‘barabandi’—keeping elected councillors together until boards are formed. Reports say parties are preparing resorts and other secure locations to prevent cross-voting and poaching. The anxiety is not without precedent: past mayoral contests have seen allegations of money and inducements being offered.That makes the September 14 results only the first half of the story. The real political bargaining will begin after the numbers are known, when parties try to assemble majorities and elect mayors, chairpersons and presidents.And then comes the bigger test: the panchayat elections this year. Rural Rajasthan will provide a considerably broader test of organisational strength and caste mobilisation. Taken together, the urban and rural results will shape the political narrative around the third anniversary of the Sharma government in December—and could influence how the BJP high command assesses the chief minister and his ministers well before the next assembly election.For Sharma, therefore, these are not merely municipal elections. The BJP may be contesting 10,245 wards, but the chief minister himself has put a part of his political report card on the ballot.Subscribe to India Today Magazine- EndsPublished By: Shyam BalasubramanianPublished On: Sep 10, 2026 19:54 IST