The decision came at about 6 pm after the committee examined claims by BJP candidate Anamika Sharma that Gadwal had failed to disclose municipal dues linked to a property associated with her family. Sharma’s objection cited alleged outstanding dues of about ₹19.18 lakh dating from 2018 and questioned the validity of a no-objection certificate issued by the corporation.
Gadwal’s side disputed the allegation. Her husband, Dilip Gadwal, said the corporation had issued the no-objection certificate after requiring payments of ₹24,000 and ₹27,000, which he said had been deposited. He also maintained that the larger amount cited by the BJP was subject to a legal stay.
The scrutiny triggered a prolonged confrontation outside the election office, where supporters and representatives of both parties gathered through heavy rain. Police were deployed in strength as slogans were raised and arguments broke out near the office during the hearing.
Congress legal adviser Vivek Parashar said representatives from both sides were called before the committee before the objection was dismissed. The rejection means Gadwal’s nomination remains valid and the contest with Sharma is set to proceed, barring any further legal intervention.
The dispute has sharpened focus on the September 21 mayoral vote, which will be decided by the 80 elected councillors of the corporation. Congress emerged as the largest party in the civic election with 37 seats, while the BJP won 32. Eleven independents hold the balance in a contest requiring 41 votes for a majority.
Both parties have been working to secure support among the independents. Congress leaders have said the party moved its 37 councillors and five independents to Bengaluru ahead of the vote, alleging that its members were facing political pressure. The BJP has rejected broader opposition accusations of coercion and has continued campaigning for its candidate.
The mayor’s post is reserved for a general-category woman. Gadwal, elected from Ward 57, and Sharma, elected from Ward 3, filed their nominations on Wednesday, setting up a direct contest between the two parties.
The objection against Gadwal was filed during scrutiny on Thursday. BJP representatives argued that alleged arrears connected to Gadwal Palace should have affected the no-objection certificate and her eligibility. Congress representatives countered that the certificate had been properly issued and that the dispute over the larger amount could not be treated as an undisputed liability.
The hearing became the central political issue in Ajmer through the day, with senior figures from both parties following the proceedings. Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra accused the BJP of trying to overturn the electoral mandate through the objection. The BJP maintained that its challenge concerned compliance with nomination rules and disclosure of dues.
Election officials did not accept the BJP’s case for disqualifying Gadwal, leaving the mayoral arithmetic unchanged. With Congress five seats short of the majority mark and the BJP nine short, the positions taken by the independents will determine whether either party can cross 41 votes.
The civic result has given Congress a numerical edge but not control of the corporation on its own. The BJP, which finished second in the ward tally, can still prevail if it assembles sufficient support from unaffiliated councillors.
Former mayor Dharmendra Gehlot also pressed the BJP’s objection, arguing that municipal records warranted closer scrutiny of the certificate. Congress representatives, meanwhile, questioned the timing of a corporation committee examining the no-objection certificate and alleged that correspondence linked to that exercise reached the election office shortly before the hearing concluded. Those assertions formed part of the political exchange surrounding the scrutiny but did not alter the committee’s decision. The proceedings therefore ended with both nominations intact, shifting attention from eligibility arguments back to the councillors whose votes will decide control of the corporation at Monday’s scheduled mayoral ballot.
