Jaipur: Smaller parties, including BAP, AIMIM, RLP, SDPI, AAP and RLD, are gearing up to contest the urban local body elections scheduled on Sept 9 and 11, focusing on wards where BJP and Congress are expected to be in close fights. While BAP is concentrating on the tribal belt, AIMIM is targeting Muslim-dominated urban pockets and SDPI is looking to expand its current presence in the state.Several of these parties are also planning to offer tickets to rebels from BJP and Congress, aiming to increase their seat share and bring in local politicians with established support bases.BAP’s Banswara MP Rajkumar Roat said the party would field candidates in Udaipur, Banswara, Dungarpur, Pratapgarh, Chittorgarh and Jhalawar, with a campaign centred on tribal issues. “Our focus is on tribal-dominated districts and issues concerning them. They have faced discrimination and remained poor, so why should we not contest elections for them?” Roat said. He added that the party’s candidates would include tribals, SCs and Muslims.AIMIM state president Jameel Khan said the party has finalised candidates for several wards and was still selecting others. “We are contesting seats where there is a direct contest between Congress and BJP. We want to provide an alternative to voters,” Khan said.SDPI, which has around a dozen sitting councillors, is also working to widen its footprint. Party national vice-president Mohammed Shafi said Jaipur, Kota, Baran, Jhalawar, Bhilwara and Chittorgarh were among its focus areas.The strategy of smaller parties has gained traction amid ticket-related discontent in both BJP and Congress. By accommodating denied aspirants, these parties could expand their candidate base and influence outcomes in closely contested wards.
