Jaipur: For hundreds of BJP and Congress aspirants, Monday, the last day of filing nominations for the upcoming urban local body elections, began after a sleepless night of waiting for the phone call that could decide their political future. With both parties withholding candidate lists in several of Rajasthan’s 309 urban local bodies, ticket hopefuls were left clutching their nomination papers anxiously, unsure till the last moment whether they would get the final nod.By morning, nomination centres had turned into scenes of adrenaline-fuelled activity.Several aspirants arrived dressed for the occasion, accompanied by supporters, party workers and family members, some carrying garlands and raising slogans even before their candidature was officially confirmed. Others began the day at temples and dargahs, seeking divine blessings before, hopefully, having a chance to enter the electoral fray.For those who eventually got the call, the wait quickly turned into a mad scramble to put together documents, party authorisations and other formalities. Some reached returning offices just minutes before the 3pm deadline.Others ended up waiting outside in vain for hours, for a ticket confirmation call that never came.Adding to the day’s volatility was the BJP’s unexpected approach to its Jaipur ticket allotment. The party fielded eight Muslim candidates and added another talking point to what is already a very closely watched selection exercise.The day’s developments also threw up some unusual family equations.In Khandela, BJP fielded Vikas Badgurjar from Ward 5 and his wife Vimla Badgurjar from Ward 6, while Congress nominated Bhura Ram Saini from Ward 13 and his son Subhash from Ward 9.In another notable development, BJP’s Deepak Dewasi ended up being the sole contestant from Ward 11 in Bhinmal, Jalore, making his the only uncontested win in over 10,000 wards across the state.Such happy coincidences apart, the day also brought up some anger and tears.In Jaipur, Anjali Gautam broke down after being denied the BJP ticket from Ward 149, alleging that ground-level workers were being ignored. In Ajmer, BJP leader Mahendra Singh Bhati shaved his head outside the Collectorate in a dramatic protest after being denied a ticket.By evening, the customary round of allegations and counter-allegations between political parties was sounded off by Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra, who alleged that BJP candidates were being allowed to submit nomination papers beyond the 3pm deadline in Basedi, Bhilwara and Ajmer.
