Jaipur: The number of candidates contesting Jaipur Municipal Corporation elections has fallen to 723 across 150 wards, with the final list showing a mix of direct, triangular and multi-cornered contests. The toughest battles are expected in 16 wards where only BJP and Congress candidates remain in the fray.“The contest in these 16 wards and 33 wards with three candidates would be a tough challenge for candidates of the two main parties. With no other competitors, there won’t be any split in the vote banks of both parties, and floating voters can play a decisive role,” said a senior BJP worker.The 16 wards witnessing direct BJP-Congress contests are 41, 42, 45, 49, 53, 60, 83, 90, 91, 94, 122, 123, 129, 131, 142 and 150. JMC Greater opposition leader Rajeev Choudhary is contesting from ward 53.“While ward 53 may have different equations, a few of these 16 wards have only two candidates as they comprise areas added to JMC this time. The craze to become councillor is also less in these wards,” said a Congress worker.Another 33 wards will see triangular contests involving BJP, Congress and an independent. Ward 76, where former deputy mayor Puneet Karnawat is contesting, has Karnawat, Congress nominee Pradip Jain and independent Prabhu Dayal. Four nominations were rejected in the ward, including two BJP and one Congress candidate, while two independents withdrew.Former mayor Jyoti Khandelwal’s ward 110 also has three candidates after four of seven nominations were rejected or withdrawn.Only four wards have more than 10 candidates overall. Ward 62 has the largest field, with 13 candidates, including nine independents and nominees of BJP, Congress, Rashtriya Loktantrik Party and Aam Aadmi Party, an election official said.
