Two of the young candidates are fighting on Bharatiya Janata Party tickets, while the other 23 are independents. Their backgrounds range from students and civil engineers to a private school teacher, homemaker and sanitation worker, reflecting an unusually broad occupational mix among first-time entrants to civic politics.
The figure could still change because Thursday, September 3, is the final day for withdrawal of nominations. Polling for the 80-member Ajmer Municipal Corporation is scheduled for September 11, with the young candidates campaigning against rivals who are largely in older age groups.
Several of the contestants have turned heavily to social media to introduce themselves to voters, publicise ward-level issues and organise campaign outreach. Their participation comes as local parties and independents intensify preparations after completion of the nomination process.
Nandani, 22, a private school teacher contesting as an independent, has said her interest in politics was influenced by her father, who has long been active in the BJP. Her decision to stand without a party ticket places her among a large group of young independents seeking entry into the corporation.
Muskan Bano, also 22, works in the private sector and is contesting independently. She has cited the political involvement of her father, an active Congress member, as an influence on her decision to enter electoral politics.
Deepesh, 22, a sanitation worker and independent candidate, has linked his campaign to his experience of working on cleanliness in Ajmer. He said that experience encouraged him to contest and seek a formal role in addressing civic concerns.
Priya, 24, another private school teacher, is contesting as an independent despite having no family background in politics. She said she wanted to try public life on her own initiative, underscoring the varied routes through which the youngest candidates have reached the ballot.
Manish, 24, a civil engineer, is also among the independents. Civil engineering is represented among the younger contestants alongside education, private-sector employment and municipal sanitation work, giving the group a profile that differs from the traditional party-worker route into local elections.
The broader candidate field also shows a generational spread. Forty-six contestants are below 40, while 20 are above 60. Candidates in the 20-to-25 age bracket are therefore a distinct subset of a larger group of younger aspirants seeking council seats.
Ajmer has 80 municipal wards. The BJP has fielded candidates in all 80, while Congress announced nominees for 78 wards. The final nomination stage also produced a sizeable number of independents, including aspirants who did not secure major-party tickets and others contesting outside established party structures.
The election is being fought after ward reservations were redrawn through a lottery in August. Twenty wards were reserved for Scheduled Castes, two for Scheduled Tribes and 16 for Other Backward Classes, while 27 wards were reserved for women. The mayor’s post has also been reserved for a woman.
Those reservation arrangements shaped candidate selection across the city, with both major parties replacing some former councillors and bringing in new faces. They also contributed to a crowded nomination process as aspirants adjusted to the revised ward categories and party decisions.
Campaigning has so far relied substantially on personal contact and online messaging, with many candidates posting photographs, short videos, appeals and ward-specific promises. The youngest contestants are considered particularly comfortable with digital campaigning, which allows them to reach voters without the organisational machinery available to established party candidates.
A former municipal councillor said younger contestants were often able to communicate directly with voters of their generation and understood the issues that concern them. The official contest, however, will become clear only after the withdrawal deadline and publication of the final list of candidates.
