BJP Wins Kota Urban Body; EVM Glitches Delay Chairperson Election (Representative image) Kota: The BJP has crossed the majority mark in the Kota Municipal Corporation election, winning 55 of the 100 wards. However, the elections for the posts of chairperson and vice chairperson in Kota and Suket were postponed after EVM glitches were reported at some polling booths, news agency PTI reported. The Congress won 40 wards, while Independents secured three seats. According to official orders issued by Chief Electoral Officer and Secretary Rajesh Verma, the counting and declaration of results for Ward 87, Ward 44 and Ward 11 of the Kota Municipal Corporation, along with a designated booth in Ward 4 of Suket Municipality, were put on hold following EVM malfunctions. Re-polling has been scheduled for September 16 at the affected booths, with counting to be held on September 17 before the final results of the local body elections are declared. Congress candidate from Ward 87, Laxmi Sharma, along with party leader Shalini Gautam and Youth Congress secretary Shubham Gochar, staged a 'dharna' outside JDB College, demanding that the result be declared. "We are well aware of the ill intentions of BJP, known for foul games. We are winning Ward 87 and they played some game overnight to defeat us," Sharma, who was pitted against BJP's Pushpa Choudhary, told reporters. Later, Kota Congress president Rakhi Gautam reached the counting centre and demanded transparency, including that the EVM be sealed in the presence of the collector and ADM. Officials subsequently forwarded a formal report to the Election Commission through the returning officer (RO), seeking further instructions. BJP candidate Vivek Rajvanshi won his fourth consecutive term as councillor from Ward 54, defeating his closest rival, Congress's Manish, by 2,226 votes. BJP's Gopal Ram Manda also secured his fifth consecutive electoral victory, defeating Congress candidate Sanjay Yadav by 899 votes. The counting process also witnessed brief drama after Independent candidate Babulal protested, alleging that he was denied entry to the counting area. Despite the BJP's overall dominance, Congress and Independent candidates registered victories in several key wards. Youth Congress candidate Arpit Jain pulled off a major upset in Ward 86, defeating BJP veteran and former deputy mayor Yogendra Khinchi by 250 votes. Independent candidate Vandana Faujdar won Ward 71 with 1,264 votes, defeating BJP candidate Meenakshi Sen by 160 votes. The Congress candidate finished third.