Jaipur, Sept. 4 -- As many as 35,047 candidates remained in the fray for Rajasthan's civic elections after the completion of the nomination and withdrawal process, setting the stage for a multi-cornered contest across 10,245 wards in the state. According to the State Election Commission, 69,811 nominations have been received. Of these, 16,726 were rejected during scrutiny, while 5,950 candidates withdrew their nominations. Another 2,506 nominations were rejected at a subsequent stage, while 17 candidates were elected unopposed. The elections will be held on September 9 and 11, with results scheduled to be declared on September 14. While the immediate contest is for control of urban local bodies, the polls are also emerging as a test of the political influence, organisational strength and grassroots connect of senior leaders of both the BJP and Congress. The nomination process has already exposed organisational challenges for both parties. Data from around 20 districts indicates that nominations of at least 99 BJP and Congress candidates were rejected during scrutiny, including 57 Congress and 42 BJP candidates. The overall number of rejected nominations during the process is around 200. Chief minister Bhajanlal Sharma faces a key prestige battle in his home district of Bharatpur, where the BJP's performance in the Municipal Corporation and other urban bodies will be closely watched. Results from areas falling under his Sanganer Assembly constituency in Jaipur will also be significant. Deputy chief minister Diya Kumari faces a test in Jaipur's Vidhyadhar Nagar constituency. The BJP's performance in the state capital will be important for her as well as other party leaders, including cabinet minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore. For BJP state president Madan Rathore, the elections will be the first major statewide test of the organisation under his leadership. The party's performance in his home district of Pali will assume added significance following the recent switch of party leader Rakesh Bhati to the Congress. Jodhpur is another major battleground for the BJP, with Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat's influence under scrutiny. The city, long associated with former chief minister Ashok Gehlot and the Congress, will be closely watched for any shift in the urban political equation. Kota, Udaipur and Ajmer will also contribute to the wider political narrative. In Kota, the BJP's performance will be assessed in the context of education minister Madan Dilawar's organisational influence. For the Congress, PCC president Govind Singh Dotasara faces a crucial test. Having played a significant role in ticket distribution, his standing within the organisation could be influenced by the party's performance, particularly in his home district of Sikar and across Shekhawati. The Congress is also dealing with reported resentment over ticket distribution in Jaipur, Kota, Ajmer and other areas. Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully faces a test in Alwar, while the Congress's performance in Jodhpur will be seen in the context of Gehlot's continuing influence....