Last day for withdrawal of nominations in Rajasthan, over 218 candidates out

JAIPUR। The withdrawal process for the urban local body elections in Rajasthan will be completed by 3 PM today. On the first day, more than 218 candidates withdrew their nominations and left the race. In 19 bodies of Jaipur district, 74 out of 3,365 candidates withdrew their nominations yesterday.

After scrutiny of nomination papers in the state's 309 urban local bodies, the number of candidates is decreasing. Today is the last day for withdrawal and candidates can go to the Returning Officer's office to withdraw their names by 3 PM. The final list will be released after 3 PM today.

Election symbols will be allotted on September 4, after which candidates will have only 7 days left for campaigning. Voting for the first phase will be held on September 9, while in the second phase, voting will take place on September 11 in 145 bodies.

Both the Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress are facing the challenge of persuading rebel candidates from their own camps. Local party leaders and office bearers have increased contact with rebels to get them to withdraw their nominations.

There has been dissatisfaction in many wards over ticket distribution, leading several candidates to contest as independents. The party leadership is doing damage control and local leaders have been given the responsibility to negotiate with rebel candidates and their supporters to bring them back to the party fold.

The BJP believes that the presence of rebel candidates in the field will benefit the opposition, so continuous contact and strategy are being developed at the organizational level. Congress is also engaged in persuading rebels and linking their supporters with authorized candidates.

Only after the withdrawal will the real picture of the local body elections emerge, showing where the contest will be triangular or multi-cornered. After this, the allotment of election symbols and campaigning will begin in full swing. Today is important for both major parties because reducing the number of rebels has become part of their election strategy.