Kota: BJP’s Anusuya Goswami was elected mayor of Kota Municipal Corporation Friday, defeating Congress’s Sunita Suman 65-35 in the 100-member House.Goswami, a councillor from Ward 98, secured eight votes more than BJP’s strength of 57, while Suman polled four fewer votes than Congress’ 39 councillors. The result triggered allegations of cross-voting, though the secret ballot makes it difficult to establish how individual councillors voted.The election also sparked a political row after a video purportedly showing Goswami bowing outside the residence of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla went viral.PCC president Govind Singh Dotasra shared the video on X and questioned whether the newly elected mayor was accountable to the people or to political power. “These pictures, which shame the people’s mandate and democracy, are from outside the residence ‘Baikunth’ of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla ji. This is the newly elected BJP Mayor of Kota, bowing low at the threshold to pay obeisance… The people of Kota are asking.. Is the Mayor the people’s, or the threshold of power’s?” Dotasra wrote.Advocate on Record (AOR) Ajay Singh, commenting on the issue of political neutrality, said, “The 52nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1985 inserted the Tenth Schedule into the Constitution, which contains the specific provision (Paragraph 5) that supports the principle of the Speaker’s political neutrality.”
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Earlier, Congress leader Rakhi Gautam alleged administrative bias during the election and claimed BJP leaders were allowed inside while Congress leaders were stopped outside.After assuming office, Goswami announced an open-door policy, saying people would not need a “parchi” to meet her. She said sanitation, city beautification and public health would be among her priorities.Goswami later performed a ceremonial prayer with local MLAs Sandeep Sharma and Kalpana Devi before taking charge.Meanwhile, in the 25-ward Suket municipality in Kota district, BJP’s Jitendra Chopra defeated Congress’s Umardeen Khan 13-12 to become the first chairperson of the newly constituted municipality.
