Jaipur, Sept. 11 -- Rajasthan's urban local body elections enter their second and final phase on Friday, with 8,760,884 voters set to decide the fate of 18,266 candidates across 147 civic bodies, including six municipal corporations in Jaipur, Jodhpur, Ajmer, Kota, Udaipur and Pali. Polling will be held from 7 am to 6 pm across 4,774 wards at 9,758 polling booths. The second phase is a bigger political test for the BJP and Congress as it covers several of Rajasthan's largest urban centres, including the state capital Jaipur. The results could provide an indication of the parties' urban support base and shape the post-poll arithmetic in closely contested wards. Jaipur, the largest civic body going to polls on Friday, has 2.433 million voters across 150 wards and 723 candidates in the fray. Polling will take place at 2,256 stations, including 2,204 main and 52 auxiliary booths. Jodhpur, another key political battleground, has 100 wards and 712,000 voters, while Kota has 100 wards and 8.26 lakh voters. Ajmer has 80 wards and 438,000 voters, Udaipur 80 wards and 416,000 voters, and Pali 65 wards and 181,000 voters. The BJP is seeking to build on the strong voter participation recorded in the first phase and the extensive campaign mounted by the state government. Chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma led roadshows in Jaipur during the campaign, while the party's organisational machinery remained focused on consolidating its candidates and voters. Congress, meanwhile, is banking on anti-incumbency against the BJP government and the presence of rebels and independents in several wards to alter the electoral arithmetic. In closely fought wards, the role of independent candidates could become particularly important in the post-poll process of forming municipal boards. In closely fought wards, independent candidates could play a particularly important role in the post-poll process of forming municipal boards. Polling personnel and election material were dispatched from designated centres across the cities on Thursday. In Jaipur, District Election Officer (City) Sandesh Nayak said polling parties were dispatched from Shri Bhawani Niketan College on Sikar Road as part of preparations for Friday's voting. The second phase follows polling in 162 urban local bodies on September 9, when 20,623 candidates contested 5,393 wards. The first phase recorded a voter turnout of 76.41%, with more than 41 lakh of the 5.752 million registered voters exercising their franchise. The contest will not end with Friday's polling. Counting of votes for councillor posts in both phases will take place on September 14 from 8 am. The election of mayors and chairpersons is scheduled for September 21, followed by elections for deputy mayors, deputy chairpersons and municipal vice-presidents on September 22....