Jaipur: With civic polls scheduled for Sept 11, candidates across Jaipur are stepping up their campaigns, combining traditional door-to-door outreach with social media and community networks. Some are also adopting novel tactics, such as maintaining registers of residents’ complaints, meeting voters multiple times before polling and promising surprise gifts to those who flag civic issues.In Ward 64, candidate Kailash Meena said he was maintaining a register of complaints raised by residents during his campaign. He said voters were not seeking land titles or big-ticket projects, but solutions to everyday problems such as streetlights, water supply and sanitation.In Ward 77, candidate Kiran Sharma is focusing on caste equations, with campaign manager Vinod Kumawat estimating that there are 4,000-4,500 Brahmin voters in the ward. If elected, her team has promised a surprise gift to a resident who registers a civic complaint six months after the election.In Ward 86, candidate Tara Beniwal’s team is conducting door-to-door outreach despite the rain, using drums and stopping at temples to interact with residents. Campaign manager Bhomaram Raegar said they were also reaching voters through community groups such as Agrasen Samaj Samiti, Raegar Vikas Samiti, Sharma Vikas Samiti and Khandelwal Vikas Samiti.In Ward 78, candidate Shyam Sundar Sharma’s campaign has set a target of reaching each voter two to three times before polling. Campaign manager Vijay Saini said Instagram and Facebook had become important campaign platforms, while the use of pamphlets had fallen by nearly half compared with the previous election.However, residents said campaigning techniques and promises remained largely unchanged. “There are many public issues, but no one is willing to listen,” said Barkat Nagar resident Dinesh Barnolia.
