Rajasthan civic polls: More than 10,000 nomination withdrawals trigger political storm across state

Jaipur: In Rajasthan’s civic elections, the battle was not confined to the campaign trail or even the ballot box. On the final day of nomination withdrawals, more than ten thousand candidates exited the contest, triggering a series of political confrontations across the state.

Candidates changed sides, allegations of cash inducements surfaced, police stepped in, and party workers clashed as political parties fought to reshape contests ward by ward. What began as an administrative deadline quickly turned into a revealing display of the pressure and bargaining behind the civic poll battle.

Rajasthan’s civic elections entered their final phase of nomination withdrawal on Friday, with a day marked by dramatic turnarounds, allegations of inducements, police intervention and intense political manoeuvring.

Across the state, as many as 10,112 candidates withdrew their nominations, while more than 17,000 nomination papers were rejected during the scrutiny process. With the dust settling, 38,891 candidates remain in the contest for 10,245 wards across 309 civic bodies.

But behind these numbers lies a more turbulent picture of Rajasthan’s local electoral battlefield. From candidates changing political sides to police being called in to prevent withdrawals, the final hours of the nomination process offered a glimpse of just how high the stakes are in the state’s civic elections.

According to the Election Commission, 58,379 candidates had filed 69,929 nomination papers by August 31. Following scrutiny, 49,080 candidates remained in the fray. The withdrawal deadline then dramatically reduced the field, with 10,112 candidates pulling out, bringing the final number down to 38,891.

For political parties, however, the numbers tell only part of the story. The days leading up to the deadline were also marked by efforts to persuade candidates to withdraw, allegations of pressure and inducements, and attempts by parties to consolidate their positions ward by ward.

The result is an election landscape in which a candidate’s presence or absence from the ballot could sometimes come down to intense negotiations in the final hours. In Barmer, the nomination process produced one of the more striking political shifts.

A Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) candidate withdrew the nomination and subsequently joined the ruling BJP. The withdrawal itself became complicated when the candidate reportedly sought police assistance to get away from supporters who were opposing the move.

In Nathdwara, the nomination process descended into a confrontation.

BJP candidate Dinesh Prajapat, who was contesting from Ward 23, was on his way to withdraw his nomination when BJP workers surrounded him. Congress supporters soon reached the spot, leading to a tense face-off between the two sides. The police intervened and took Prajapat away from the scene.

Congress workers later staged a protest, alleging that the police and administration had acted with bias. A missing-person case involving Prajapat was also reported, adding to the controversy surrounding the episode.

What should ordinarily have been a procedural step, filing a withdrawal form, had turned into a full-blown political confrontation. Perhaps the most serious allegation emerged from Bhilwara. Independent candidate Rohit Sen, contesting from Ward 49, alleged that BJP candidate Amit Saraswat attempted to persuade him to withdraw from the election by offering Rs 1 lakh.

Sen alleged that Saraswat visited his house when he was away and left Rs 1 lakh with his wife. Sen subsequently approached the police and the Election Commission with a written complaint.

The police seized the money from Sen’s residence in connection with the complaint. The allegation has added another contentious episode to an election process already marked by competing claims and counterclaims.

The allegations remain allegations unless established through the appropriate investigation and legal process. Withdrawals also dramatically altered contests in several wards. In Banswara, the Congress candidate for Ward 12 withdrew her nomination in support of the BJP candidate. BJP district president Punjilal Gayri claimed that Congress had been unable to field a candidate.

In Ramganjmandi, the Congress candidate from Ward 27 was elected unopposed after BJP candidate Ravi Mewada and four independent candidates withdrew from the contest.

Meanwhile, in Pali, independent candidate Leela Devi Sanklecha of Ward 1 reportedly fell ill during the withdrawal process. She alleged that political pressure had prompted her decision to withdraw. Despite her health deteriorating, she was taken to the Returning Officer, where the withdrawal was completed.

The scale of the withdrawals is significant. Following scrutiny, 49,080 candidates remained in the fray. With 10,112 candidates withdrawing their nominations, the final number has now fallen to 38,891.

At least 77 candidates have been elected unopposed, meaning voters in those wards will not have a contest on polling day. The nomination phase has therefore already delivered its share of political drama.

With the field now settled, the focus will shift to campaigning, booth management and voter mobilisation. For Rajasthan’s major political parties, however, the incidents of the past few days offer a reminder that in civic elections, the battle for a ward can be just as intense behind closed doors as it is on the campaign trail.

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