Jaipur, Aug 31 (PTI) With just hours left for nominations to close, ticket distribution for Rajasthan’s civic polls descended into a last-minute scramble on Monday, with the BJP leaving five Jaipur wards undecided and the Congress yet to formally release its list for the state capital.
The unusual last-minute exercise highlighted intense pressure on both parties, with Congress workers burning an effigy of Jaipur city Congress president Sunil Sharma, accusing him of ignoring the minority community in ticket allocation.
For the BJP too, the final hours have been hectic.
After days of deliberations, it announced candidates for 145 wards but continued discussions over five seats even as the nomination deadline approached. The party has also been calling candidates and asking them to complete their nominations.
“List for 145 wards has been issued. Discussion on five names is going on,” a party spokesperson said.
Its Jaipur choices include former mayor Jyoti Khandelwal from ward 110. Khandelwal, a former Congress leader, had joined the BJP during the 2023 assembly elections.
In Ward 112, the BJP replaced outgoing mayor Kusum Yadav and fielded former state vice-president Sunil Kothari. The announcements immediately disappointed unsuccessful aspirants.
A woman BJP aspirant broke down after being denied a ticket and alleged that those working for the party on the ground were being overlooked in favour of people who indulged in sycophancy.
The Congress situation in Jaipur is even more unusual.
Instead of first releasing a complete list and then sending its candidates to file nominations, the party is learnt to have asked selected candidates to submit their papers while keeping the formal announcement pending.
That has created a race against the clock on the final day and, at the same time, reduced the time available for unsuccessful aspirants to organise independent campaigns.
“Sharma has ignored the minority community,” a protesting worker alleged.
Several aspirants from both parties had already begun campaigning and contacting voters in anticipation of tickets.
The BJP has already witnessed protests and defections in Pali, Udaipur, Bhilwara and Ajmer, while Congress has faced internal friction over candidate selection in Bhilwara and other places.
More than 10,000 councillors are to be elected across 309 urban local bodies.
Thousands of party workers who have waited years for an opportunity to enter elected local politics competed for tickets. In Jaipur alone, the BJP received around 2,500 applications for 150 wards.
Changed ward boundaries and reservation equations have added to the difficulty. Parties are simultaneously trying to accommodate organisational loyalty, winnability, caste and community representation, former councillors, new faces and recommendations from MLAs and senior leaders.
Elections in all 309 urban local bodies in Rajasthan will be held in two phases on September 9 and 11. Counting will be held on September 14.
The last date for nomination withdrawal is September 3.
The election of heads of urban local bodies will be held on September 21.
General meetings of municipal corporations, municipal councils and municipalities will be held on September 22. Elections for deputy mayors, deputy chairpersons and municipal vice-presidents will be held during these meetings.
Elections will be held for 10,245 councillor posts in 309 urban local bodies. These include 10 municipal corporations, 51 municipal councils and 248 municipalities.
There are 1.44 crore voters in 309 urban local bodies. 16,465 polling centres will be set up across the urban local bodies and elaborate security arrangements will be in place. PTI SDA APL APL
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