Jaipur: With municipal elections scheduled for Sept 9 and 11, candidates have stepped up campaigning through rallies, public speeches and meetings with residents. However, some younger voters said campaigners were increasingly encroaching on private property and residential spaces in the process.Sakshi Khandelwal (27) a florist and resident of Vidyadhar Nagar, said she found campaign stickers pasted on both her cars and several other vehicles in her colony. She said the stickers carried campaign material of Dinesh Kanwath, who is contesting from Ward 28.Khandelwal said the stickers had been placed on both the front and rear of the vehicles, raising questions about how campaign workers could access private vehicles without residents’ knowledge or permission.Kanwath, however, denied that he or his party workers had pasted the stickers on residents’ vehicles. He said children often took away campaign stickers and pasted them randomly in different places.The explanation, however, contrasts with residents’ accounts of stickers appearing systematically on several vehicles in the colony.Khandelwal said she also tried to contact election authorities to report the alleged use of private property for campaign publicity, but was unable to get through as the number she called was switched off.A State Election Commission official said pasting campaign stickers on personal property, including private vehicles, was a violation of election law. The official said campaign material put up in public spaces outside locations specifically designated for candidates was also prohibited and should be reported to the respective zonal subdivision magistrate (SDM).Residents can find the SDM responsible for their area through the Rajasthan administration’s official website and contact them directly to report such violations, the official said.For Ananya Sharma, a Gen Z resident of Ward 31 in Vidyadhar Nagar, campaign noise is another concern. She said candidates and their supporters had been making rounds of residential areas as early as 7am, accompanied by loudspeaker announcements, dhols and bands.“Perhaps the older generation has become accustomed to these practices, but that doesn’t mean we have to accept them. We will question and challenge these uncivilised campaigning practices. Candidates using such methods can be assured that our votes will not be in their favour,” Sharma said.
