India, Feb. 28 -- With just days left for the municipal elections, several independent candidates held public meetings across different wards on Thursday, outlining why they chose to contest as rebels after being overlooked by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Criticising the party for ignoring grassroot leaders, these candidates maintained that their ideology aligns with the BJP and suggested that they would return to the party fold once the elections were over.

Despite contesting independently, these candidates are leveraging the BJP's brand, using saffron-coloured posters and highlighting their past association with the party to gain the confidence of voters. Many are positioning themselves as true BJP representatives, a move that has...