JAIPUR: Political activity surrounding Rajasthan’s municipal elections has reached a fever pitch, with voting for the state’s 309 urban local bodies scheduled in two phases on September 9 and 11.
Amid the electoral battle, the BJP has taken stern action against leaders and workers who contested against the party’s official candidates or campaigned for independents. Forty-one leaders and workers from across the state, including 26 from Jaipur, have been expelled from the party’s primary membership for six years.
The party has made it clear that working against official candidates amounts to anti-organisational activity and gross indiscipline. Voting in the first phase, covering 5,393 wards across 168 municipal bodies in 39 districts, will take place on Wednesday from 7 am to 6 pm.
The rallies, public meetings, roadshows and processions ended on Monday evening, with candidates now focusing on door-to-door campaigning.
A total of 10,245 wards are being contested across the state. The first phase covers 168 municipal bodies, including four municipal corporations: Pali, Bharatpur, Bhilwara and Alwar. Voting in six of the 10 municipal corporations, including the Jaipur Municipal Corporation, is scheduled for September 11.
Votes for both phases will be counted on September 14. In the first phase, 5,752,278 voters will cast their ballots at 7,683 polling stations to decide the fate of 20,623 candidates. The voter count is 27.24% higher than in 2019.
With campaigning over, both the BJP and Congress have shifted their focus to vote and candidate management. The BJP has identified “weak” booths and activated its network of party workers to ensure that supporters turn out to vote.
The party has also prepared lists of independent candidates and rebels it considers influential contenders. District units have forwarded the lists to the state organisation, with efforts to establish contact with these candidates intensifying since Monday.
The Congress, meanwhile, is reaching out to independent candidates who may not be strong enough to win but could cut into the vote share of its candidates. The party believes that in closely fought wards, even an independent securing 50 to 100 votes could influence the outcome.
The Congress is particularly seeking to bring independents aligned with its ideology into its fold ahead of the second phase. District presidents, MLAs and senior functionaries have been tasked with reaching out to such candidates.
The local body elections are shaping up as a high-stakes contest for both parties. The BJP, holding power in the state, is seeking to consolidate its position while managing the impact of rebels and possible anti-incumbency.
The Congress is hoping to get the benefit of anti-incumbency faced by the ruling BJP and is looking to make a comeback and regain ground in urban Rajasthan.
Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma has also thrown himself into the campaign, holding roadshows and public meetings across the state.
Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot and BJP leader Gajendra Singh Shekhawat have also been active in the contest, particularly in Jodhpur, turning the election into a high-profile battle for political turf.
With the first phase now entering the polling stage, both parties are banking on booth-level mobilisation, management of rebels and independents, and maximum voter turnout to gain an edge.
