Jaipur: The Mali-Saini community in Jaipur has declared a boycott of the forthcoming municipal elections in the Civil Lines and Kishanpole assembly constituencies, scheduled for Sept 11. The decision stems from allegations of political marginalisation, as community representatives claim Congress and BJP have failed to offer even a single ticket to a member of the Mali-Saini community in municipal wards of these two constituencies.Rajasthan Mali Samaj state president Ashok Kumar Pushp emphasised the community’s sizable voter base, saying, “There are around 30,000 Mali-Saini voters in Civil Lines and 15,000 in Kishanpole, making our total voter strength in the two constituencies around 45,000.”Pushp expressed concern over the lack of representation in this election cycle, noting that the community received significant political support in the previous elections. “In the 2020 municipal elections, Congress gave four tickets to members of the Mali-Saini community in Civil Lines, while BJP gave one ticket,” he recalled.In protest, the Mali-Saini community has initiated a campaign, erecting hoardings and banners throughout both constituencies to promote its message. Young volunteers have formed ward-level teams to conduct door-to-door outreach, informing voters about the boycott and the reasons behind it. Currently, around 50 hoardings have been installed, with plans for an additional 200 across various neighbourhoods.Furthermore, community representatives have proposed an alternative for voters who still wish to participate politically. “If voters still want to exercise the right to vote, they can choose NOTA instead of voting for any candidate or political party and register their protest democratically,” a representative said.The community representatives said the boycott is directed not against individual candidates but against the political parties. “The purpose of this campaign is to ensure awareness among voters in both assembly constituencies,” a representative said.
