Jaipur: With campaigning for Friday’s civic polls officially over and candidates barred from holding public rallies and meetings, the election battle in Jaipur shifted from loudspeakers and roadshows to a quieter, door to door contest Saturday.Independent candidate Shankar Singh Gurjar, contesting from ward 81, said he did not need to scramble during the final hours of campaigning because his work in the ward had already established his connection with the residents.“I’m a social worker first and a municipal councillor later. The people of my ward know this well. They invite me to their houses. People’s reactions speak when you have worked the entire tenure instead of just making hollow promises,” he said. Gurjar said that on the final day of campaigning, several residents invited him to their homes, garlanded him and assured him that they would vote for him.In ward 149, however, candidate Swati Pranami and her team divided themselves into small groups of two and three members, with teams going from door to door to ensure that no household is left out.Her campaign extended beyond voters who will physically be in Jaipur on polling day. Pranami said her team appealed to families whose members were currently outside the city, including students studying elsewhere and people who migrated for employment, to plan their travel in a way that allows them to return and vote. “If the correct vote is given today, tomorrow people won’t have to migrate from the city for better opportunities,” she said.Ward 77 candidate Kiran Sharma combined mandatory door-to-door outreach with an unusual promise aimed at keeping residents involved in civic issues.Sharma said she went door to door on the final day, requesting residents to vote for him. Her campaign pitch included a promise that, after completing at least five months of his tenure as councillor, any resident who flags a major concern in the ward will be rewarded with a “surprise gift”. According to Sharma, the idea is intended to encourage residents to actively raise civic concerns and participate in improving their ward.Kailash Meena, contesting from ward 64, said he spent the final day going door to door, personally seeking the blessings of elders in the ward. “On the final day, I am visiting every household myself, along with my team, and seeking the blessings of the elders by touching their feet. As per our tradition, nothing is possible without the blessings of our elders,” he said.
