Jaipur, Sept. 11 -- With polling ending in the first phase of Rajasthan's urban local body elections on Wednesday, the BJP and Congress shifted their focus from campaigning to the next battle - securing enough numbers to form municipal boards. Voting was held in 162 urban local bodies across 5,393 wards, with turnout about 1.28 percentage points higher than in the previous election. As the polling process ended, both parties began efforts to keep their candidates together and establish contact with influential independents who could prove crucial in bodies where neither side secures a clear majority. The post-poll manoeuvring, described in political circles as "Operation Nirdaliya", saw candidates being gathered at common venues or moved to secure locations in several districts to prevent poaching. Political observers believe that the BJP had reportedly anticipated a fractured mandate in several local bodies and instructed its district presidents, MPs and MLAs during the campaign to identify influential independent candidates and remain in touch with them. The strategy was to keep independents as a fallback option in case the party fell short of the numbers required to form a board. Congress adopted a similar two-pronged strategy - protecting its own candidates from rival approaches while maintaining contact with strong independents. People aware of the matter said BJP and Congress moved quickly to consolidate their candidates after polling amid fears of poaching ahead of board formation. The BJP shifted all 70 candidates in Bhilwara to a secure location, while both parties gathered candidates in Sri Ganganagar. Congress moved candidates to secure locations in Barmer, Sirohi and Chittorgarh, while similar efforts were reported in Jaisalmer, Alwar, Ramganjmandi, Sikar and Dausa. In Ramganjmandi, both parties also moved independent candidates with their own nominees. The moves highlight the potential role of independents in forming boards where neither BJP nor Congress secures a clear majority. The BJP's strategy had been in preparation well before polling. Party leaders at the district and local levels were asked to keep track of independent candidates with the potential to influence board formation. The party's organisational machinery was subsequently activated to ensure that its own candidates remained together and that potential allies were not allowed to drift towards Congress. Congress leaders, meanwhile, focused on preventing defections from within their own ranks. Regional leaders were asked to remain in regular contact with candidates, particularly in areas where the contest was expected to be close. In several places, hotels and resorts were reportedly arranged in advance as possible holding locations for candidates. The objective was to prevent rival camps from establishing contact with elected councillors before the results and board formation process....