JAIPUR, Aug. 5 -- Rajasthan's upcoming Panchayati Raj and Urban Local Body elections are likely to see a more fragmented contest, with the BSP, AIMIM, RPI-A and AAP preparing to challenge the traditional BJP-Congress bipolarity. Union minister of state for social justice and empowerment Ramdas Athawale said Monday that the RPI-A would contest municipal elections in alliance with the BJP. He said seat-sharing talks were underway and he would meet the BJP's Rajasthan president to finalise the arrangement.The BSP will hold a workers' conference and organisational review meeting at Jaipur's Birla Auditorium on August 23, with national convener Akash Anand attending. State in-charge Bhagwan Singh Baba said the party plans to field candidates in as many seats as possible where it sees favourable prospects and strengthen its grassroots network.AIMIM has formally announced its entry into the state's local elections and will field its own candidates as well as endorsed nominees. This will be the first time the party officially contests Panchayati Raj and civic polls in Rajasthan. State spokesperson Advocate Arif Mohammad said the party would soon launch a statewide outreach campaign and strengthen its organisation at the grassroots. AAP has also announced plans to contest the Urban Local Body elections across Rajasthan. State working president Kirti Pathak told HT that the party would enter the polls "with full strength", focusing on transparency, accountability and corruption-free governance, and field candidates with clean records. Political analyst Rajan Mahan told HT that the entry of more parties could fragment the traditional BJP-Congress contest and influence Muslim and Dalit voting patterns. "Traditionally, Rajasthan's local body elections have largely remained bipolar contests between the BJP and the Congress. The entry of more parties is likely to make the contest more fragmented and may create greater confusion among voters," Mahan said. He said AIMIM could divide sections of the Muslim vote traditionally leaning towards Congress, while the BSP and RPI-A could split Dalit votes in some constituencies. Congress state spokesperson Swarnim Chaturvedi while speaking to HT played down the challenge, saying the party had been preparing for nearly a year...