Archive · 31 Aug 2026
BJP Deliberations Continue as Rajasthan Poll Deadline Nears
The BJP is choosing candidates for local elections in Rajasthan.
Its leaders discussed the names for several days and continued meeting late into Sunday night.
A small number of seats still did not have final candidates.
The party kept phones out of the meeting room to stop discussions from being recorded or leaked.
A video showed Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma’s security officer taking away BJP president Madan Rathore’s phone.
Some party members are unhappy about how tickets are being given out in Alwar.
Two local party presidents resigned with their teams.
The BJP must finish the process because Monday is the last day to file nominations.
The BJP continued selecting candidates for Rajasthan urban-body elections into early Monday, with decisions pending for about 4–5% of seats.
Discussions covered 2,970 wards in the Jaipur division, including Jaipur city’s 150 wards.
The party imposed strict phone restrictions, and a video showed a security officer removing State President Madan Rathore’s phone from a meeting room.
The BJP faced dissent over Alwar Municipal Corporation tickets, including resignations by two Mandal presidents and their executive committees.
Monday is the final day for nominations, and the BJP plans to distribute party symbols before releasing its candidate list to limit rebellion.
- Who
- Rajasthan BJP leaders, including Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma and State President Madan Rathore, are selecting candidates; some local leaders have objected.
- What
- The BJP is finalising candidates and distributing party symbols for upcoming urban local-body elections.
- When
- Discussions continued through early Monday; Monday is the final day for filing nominations.
- Where
- The deliberations took place at the BJP state office in Jaipur and concerned urban local bodies across Rajasthan, including Bharatpur, Jaipur and Alwar.
- Why
- The party is trying to resolve local political equations, prevent leaks and minimise rebellion over ticket distribution.
Party Leadership
Dissenting Leaders and Workers
Candidate selection
Party Leadership
BJP leaders continued discussions to balance local political equations and reach agreement on candidates; Ashok Parnami said disagreements in one meeting were eventually resolved.
Dissenting Leaders and Workers
Some party workers and leaders objected to ticket distribution, with workers raising slogans outside the state office and senior leader Suresh Mehta criticising the treatment of experienced leaders.
Alwar tickets
Party Leadership
The party is proceeding with its candidate-selection process and has contacted prospective candidates to file nominations.
Dissenting Leaders and Workers
Two Alwar Mandal presidents and their executive committees resigned, while Mehta publicly expressed displeasure over the process.
Meeting secrecy
Party Leadership
The BJP enforced phone restrictions and plans to release the candidate list after distributing party symbols to prevent leaks and reduce rebellion.
Dissenting Leaders and Workers
The removal of Madan Rathore’s phone, captured in a viral video, drew attention to the unusually strict confidentiality measures.
- Pending seats
- Candidates remained to be finalised for about 4–5% of seats.
- Jaipur division
- The BJP discussed candidates for 2,970 wards.
- Jaipur city
- Deliberations covered 150 wards.
- Nomination deadline
- Monday is the final day for filing nominations.
- Confidentiality measures
- Leaders and office-bearers were instructed not to bring mobile phones into the meeting room.
- Alwar dissent
- Two of Alwar’s four Mandal presidents resigned along with their executive committees.
- Candidate-list strategy
- The BJP plans to release its list after party symbols are distributed to reduce the possibility of rebellion.