Jaipur/Ajmer/Alwar/Bikaner, Sept. 17 -- The political contest for mayor, chairperson and president posts across Rajasthan's 305 urban local bodies entered its final phase on Wednesday, with the BJP and Congress naming candidates in key civic bodies while independents emerged as the decisive factor in several closely divided boards. The nomination process for the posts ended at 3 pm on Wednesday. The final contest will become clearer after scrutiny of nominations on September 17 and withdrawal of candidature by 3 pm on September 18. Elections for chairpersons will be held on September 21, followed by elections for deputy chairpersons on September 22. In several corporations and councils, the numbers have left the two major parties dependent on independents, while in some places internal dissent has complicated the contest. In Ajmer Municipal Corporation, Congress fielded Kiran Garhwal, an OBC woman from the Mali community, for the mayoral post reserved for a general-category woman. The BJP has fielded Anamika Sharma. The Congress decision has attracted attention because the party has several general-category women councillors who could have contested the post. Garhwal's candidature also assumes significance because the Mali community, which accounts for an estimated 30,000 voters in Ajmer, has traditionally been associated with the BJP. The election results, however, indicated a shift in support among a section of the community towards Congress. In Bhilwara, BJP councillor Jaswant Kanwar, 37, from Ward 9, is set to become the city's first woman mayor after the Congress decided not to contest the mayoral election on its party symbol. The BJP has 45 of the 70 wards, giving it a clear majority. Kanwar defeated an independent candidate by 2,165 votes. Congress city president Shivram Khatik said the party had decided, in accordance with the state Congress leadership's direction, not to contest the mayoral election in Bhilwara. The contest in Bikaner, meanwhile, has exposed factionalism within Congress. The party has fielded Anil Kalla, nephew of former minister BD Kalla and councillor from Ward 73. Congress has won 42 of the 80 wards in the corporation. The BJP, despite not having a majority, has fielded Ward 13 councillor Surendra Singh. Congress rebel Navratan Daga, who was denied the party ticket, has filed his nomination as an independent. Daga questioned why the Kalla family was repeatedly given preference in ticket distribution, adding another layer to the mayoral contest. In Udaipur, BJP's Paras Singhvi and Congress's Poonam Kanwar filed nominations. BJP has a majority in the corporation, but final election for mayor will be held on September 21. In Pali, Congress has fielded Sumitra Jain while the BJP has nominated Namita Bubkiya. The 65-member board has 29 Congress councillors, 21 from the BJP and 15 independents, leaving both parties short of a majority. Alwar has also seen a three-way contest, with BJP nominating Sumanlata Agrawal from Ward 7, Congress fielding Kamlesh Sharma from Ward 39 and independent Rinkle Garg filing her nomination. Agrawal is the wife of former municipal council chairperson Ajay Agrawal, while Sharma is the wife of ex-district Congress chief Yogesh Mishra. The BJP has already secured the chairperson's post in Kotkasim municipality unopposed, with its candidate Rekha Saini elected without a contest. In Baran Municipal Council, the numbers favour Aam Aadmi Party, which won 31 of the 60 wards. Congress has 18 seats, BJP nine and independents two. AAP has fielded Sheetal Rathore for chairperson, while BJP has nominated Nilesh Jain and Congress has fielded Meenakshi Bhardwaj. Jaisalmer has a BJP majority with 25 of the 45 wards, against 16 Congress and four independents. BJP candidates Arun Kumar Purohit and Vijay Dangra filed nominations, while Congress has fielded Nirmal Raiyani and subsequently also submitted the nomination of former council chairperson Ashok Singh Tanwar, who won from Ward 20. In Jhunjhunu, Congress has 30 of the 60 wards, while BJP and independents have 15 each. BJP has nominated Manu Dhankhar and Congress has fielded Abdullah Agwan. The contest in Dausa will also hinge on independents. BJP has fielded Kavita Gurjar from Ward 6 and Congress has nominated Rekha Gurjar from Ward 54 for the OBC women's seat. Of the 55-member council, Congress has 24 councillors, BJP 17 and independents 14. In Sawai Madhopur, Congress's Shailendra Chaudhary and BJP's Meva Chaudhary have filed nominations, setting up a direct contest. Banswara BJP has nominated Mukesh Rawat, while in Sikar, Congress has fielded Khatija Bano and BJP Kanchan Khadoliya. In Nagaur, BJP's Santosh Tak and Congress's Deepak Saini have entered the contest. With the nomination process over, scrutiny and withdrawals on Thursday and Friday will determine the final line-up. The September 21 elections will then reveal whether the BJP and Congress can translate their ward-level numbers into control of the civic boards - or whether independents and rebels will hold the key to forming governments in several urban local bodies....