The nomination papers of 713 candidates in the fray for the civic body polls due on May 26, have been rejected during the scrutiny of the papers.Opposition parties in the state are crying hoarse, claiming that the maximum rejections have been of their candidates. According to data available from the State Election Commission, the total number of candidates from different political parties now in the fray are 10,096.The highest number of rejections – 447 – are in the 75 municipal councils that go to polls, followed by 151 in the eight Municipal Corporations and 115 in the 21 Nagar Panchayats.These elections are being widely regarded as the prequel to the Vidhan Sabha elections, which are just a few months away.As a result, these elections are being fought with intensity by all major political parties – be it the ruling Aam Aadmi Party, the Congress, BJP, or SAD. The elections are being fought by almost all political parties using their election symbols.The usual civic issues that are generally raised in these urban civic polls have taken a backseat. The issues that now dominate the election arena relate to the law and order situation, illicit drug menace, unemployment, economic decline, besides the poor state of urban civic infrastructure caused by a paucity of funds for civic bodies.