Jaipur/Barmer/Bharatpur, Sept. 19 -- BJP councillor Anuradha Singh is set to be elected unopposed as mayor of the Bharatpur Municipal Corporation after Congress-backed independent candidate Vichitra Singh withdrew her nomination on Friday, the last day for withdrawal of nominations for mayor, chairperson and president posts in Rajasthan's urban local bodies. Vichitra Singh, accompanied by her husband and state Home Minister Jawahar Singh Bedum, reached the Municipal Corporation office and withdrew her nomination before returning officer Richhpal Budrak. She said chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma had asked her to withdraw the nomination. "The chief minister asked me to withdraw the nomination. We all are with development and want to support the government," she said. Bedum said Vichitra Singh and her husband had decided to withdraw the nomination in the interest of development in Bharatpur. With her withdrawal, Anuradha Singh will be elected unopposed as mayor, he said. The withdrawal came amid allegations of political pressure surrounding the mayoral election. Vichitra Singh's family members had earlier alleged that the BJP government was putting pressure on them to withdraw the nomination. The development is significant given the fractured mandate in the 65-member municipal corporation. The BJP won 20 seats, Congress seven and independents 36, giving independents a majority in the corporation. The BJP had therefore needed support beyond its 20 councillors to establish a majority for the mayoral election, with the large number of independents also raising the possibility of cross-voting. The reservation category of the mayoral post had also emerged as an issue. The post was reserved for a woman from the general category, while the BJP nominated Anuradha Singh, who is from the Other Backward Class (OBC) category. Members of the Vaishya and Brahmin communities have demanded that the BJP nominate a woman from the general category, adding another layer to the contest. The Bharatpur development came as political manoeuvring over the formation of boards in Rajasthan's urban local bodies intensified on Friday, with candidates withdrawing nominations amid allegations of horse-trading, pressure and police interference. The BJP and Congress have stepped up efforts to consolidate councillors and independents ahead of elections in key civic bodies, including Jaipur, Jodhpur and Kota municipal corporations. In Jaipur, BJP state president Madan Rathore claimed independent councillor Mohammad Rais Khan of Ward 109 had joined the BJP, releasing photographs of Khan wearing a BJP scarf. Khan, however, rejected the claim, saying he remained with the Congress and had met Rathore only for a courtesy meeting. He said he had declined an offer to join the BJP. Rathore maintained that Khan was with the BJP and said the councillor had met him again on Friday morning. The conflicting claims have brought independents into focus in Jaipur, where the BJP emerged as the largest party but fell short of the majority mark in the 150-member corporation. In Bikaner, independent candidate Navratan Daga withdrew his nomination after entering the race in protest against the Congress fielding Anil Kalla, nephew of former minister B D Kalla. In Alwar, independent candidate Rinkle Garg withdrew from the mayoral race, alleging horse-trading. She claimed candidates were being approached for purchase and that winning independents were quoting their prices. "We do not want to secure any seat by paying money," she said. In Pali, Congress MLA Bhimraj Bhati staged a protest outside the district collectorate, alleging that his brother Laxmi Narayan Bhati was assaulted on the day of mayoral nominations. Bhati demanded the arrest of those allegedly involved. Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra accused the police of taking away party workers and councillors in Sikar who were staying together as part of the party's efforts to secure its councillors. He warned that the police and government would be responsible if violence occurred. Former minister B D Kalla alleged that CID officials had inspected a Congress councillors' training camp in Jaisalmer, collected their identity cards and intimidated them. Several civic bodies, meanwhile, saw unopposed elections. In Dholpur, independent candidate Girish Garg was elected unopposed as chairperson despite not being an elected councillor after six candidates withdrew their nominations. With nominations now finalised, the focus shifts to voting and efforts by both parties to keep their councillors together in closely contested civic bodies....