Congress and BJP Face Off in 22 Wards in Kota

KOTA। In the Kota Municipal Corporation election, there is a direct contest between Congress and BJP in 22 wards. With six candidates each from both parties, the competition is intense, and in 23 wards, more than three independent candidates are also in the fray.

In 22 wards of the Municipal Corporation, Congress and BJP candidates are facing each other. Six candidates from BJP and seven from Congress have joined the ticket race, increasing the tension between the two parties. Additionally, in 23 wards, more than three independent candidates are also contesting the election.

Hanuman Beniwal's party RLP has four candidates, and the Aam Aadmi Party and CPIM are also in the electoral fray. In wards 12, 16, 52, 64, 70, and 92, five independent candidates each are contesting the elections.

For the mayoral post, both parties have fielded five strong women candidates each. From Congress, former councilor Amolak Devi, former chairperson of Kaithoon Municipality Aina Mahak, Dev Bai Gurjar, Seema Yadav, and Savita Suvalka, who belongs to a political family, are in discussion.

From BJP, Anusuya Goswami, Pratibha Suman, Seema Chaudhary, former councilor Pushpa Chaudhary, and Deepa Arya are contesting for the mayoral post. Anusuya Goswami is from Ward 98, Kota South, and has held several important organizational positions. She is considered a trusted aide of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

Seema Chaudhary is from Ward 83, Kota South, which is the Lok Sabha Speaker's home area. Her husband Dhirendra Chaudhary is a former councilor and one of Birla's close strategists. Pushpa Chaudhary is from Ward 87, Kota South, and has herself been a councilor in the previous term. Her husband Devendra Chaudhary has been a councilor twice.

Pratibha Suman is from Ward 64, Ladpura. Both her mother-in-law and father-in-law have been councilors. The party may rely on her to attract the influential Mali community in the Ladpura area. Deepa Arya is from Ward 77, Kota North. Her husband Atmdeep Arya is the president of the Sarrafa Board Trade Association, and she is considered close to the district president. Despite losing by a narrow margin in 2020, she was nominated as a councilor.

Savita Suvalka is from Ward 71, Kota North. She is the wife of former councilor Rajendra Suvalka and sister-in-law of former student union president and Congress leader Rameshwar Suvalka.

Dev Bai Gurjar is from Ward 2, Ramganjmandi Assembly. She is the wife of former councilor Dhanraj Chechi and a supporter of the party's senior leader Prahlad Gunjal faction. The party is betting on the large voter base of the Gurjar community for the mayoral post, so Dev Bai's candidature is considered strong.