Assembly elections: 68.24% voter turnout recorded in Rajasthan till 5pm
The highest polling was recorded in Jaisalmer district (76.57%) while the lowest polling was recorded in Pali (60.71%)
Around 68.24% of polling was recorded till 5pm in 199 assembly constituencies in Rajasthan.
The highest polling was recorded in Jaisalmer district (76.57%), followed by Dholpur (74.11%), Jhalwar (73.37%), Pratapgarh (73.36%), and Baran (73.12%) while the lowest polling was recorded in Pali (60.71%), Sirohi (63.62%), Jalore (64.10%), Jodhpur (64.32%), and Udaipur (64.98%).
While Alwar’s Tijara witnessed the highest turnout of around 80.85%, the lowest was seen in Pali’s Sumerpur with 57.81%.
However, the final turnout report was awaited till the polling ends at 6pm.
Polling is being held in 199 out of 200 constituencies in the state. The election in onoe constituency, Karanpur in Sriganganagar, has been adjourned due to the death of Congress candidate Gurmeet Singh Koonar, who was also the sitting MLA from the seat.
The state’s voter turnout in 2018 assembly elections was 74.72%.
The state with 51,756 polling stations comprises around 52,538,659 voters- of whom 27,358,965 are men and 25,179,694 are women. According to the Election Commission, 61,021 elderly and specially-abled people have already cast their votes through home voting, in the state’s first attempt for such a facility.
Polling was majorly peaceful in Rajasthan except for a few scattered occurrences in which police detained around 40 in Bikaner, Sikar, and Dholpur for breaking the peace and harmony in the polling areas.
The Bikaner police in the morning detained 26 people for their suspicious movement. “We have also seized five cars belonging to those 26. The movements of outsiders are restricted in a particular constituency 48 hours ahead of the polling. Police found these people were from Haryana, and a few other states but had been moving around in the Kolayat area today morning during the polling process. Further investigation is underway,” said Bikaner superintendent of police (SP), Tejaswani Gautam.
A verbal clash between two groups also turned into a fierce stone-pelting in Sikar’s Fatehpur. Sikar SP Deshmukh Paris said, “We detained around 7 from the spot. Strict action will be taken against them for disturbing the peace of the area on the polling day. We have deployed an additional force in the spot for the security of the voters who are yet to cast their votes at the booths.”
In Dholpur’s Rajai Kalan, two groups of local people allegedly exchanged firing within a 150 metre radius of a polling booth, following which the police detained 7. Dholpur SP Manoj Kumar said, “The clash between two local groups broke out over a murder incident that took place seven years ago. Both groups held each other accountable for it. However, we are investigating what exactly induced the incident this morning.”
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate in Karauli, Advocate Ravindra Meena lodged a complaint with the collector and the police superintendent for an alleged fatal attack on one of his aides while they were heading towards a booth this morning. “However, the additional SP and the collector reached the spot to verify the fact, following which a case can be registered,” said Karauli SP, Mamata Gupta.
An independent candidate, S P Singh in Sikar’s Fatehpur, was allegedly assaulted by a few people while heading toward his constituency by car. A polling agent in Churu also claimed that he was assaulted by four to five people causing minor injuries.
The people in two polling booths in Alwar’s Tijara and Sirohi’s Pindwara accused the polling staff of allegedly forcing them to vote for a particular political party. However, the incidents were not yet confirmed by the administration.
Meanwhile, technical malfunction in the electronic voting machine (EVM) was reported in many places such as Sumerpur, Pratapnagar, Pokharan, Sirohi, Nadbai, and Jhalawar causing delays in the process in the morning.
The people in around six polling booths located in Pipalda, Ladpura, Sadulpur, Kolukhera, Ahore, and Uchchera boycotted voting due to the administrative ignorance to their long-time issues such as water shortage, lack of a railway-overbridge, merging with an old panchayat etc.
A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) polling agent, identified as Shantilal Rajpurohit (65) in a booth in Pali’s Sumerpur constituency, died following a sudden cardiac arrest. An 81-year-old voter, Trilok Chand Nahar in Pushkar, also died minutes after casting his vote.
Polling on Saturday was held from 7am to 6pm amid tight security arrangements, chief electoral officer Praveen Gupta said.
Chief minister Ashok Gehlot cast his vote from Jodhpur with his family around 10 am. Before voting, he visited his ancestral house in Jodhpur’s Mahamandir lane and reached the polling booth walking with the local people.
Appealing to the people to cast their votes at the maximum number, he told the reporters, “The wind is in the Congress’s favour. I can assure you that our party will repeat the government. Our guarantee will only work in the election; (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi’s schemes have failed drastically. The BJP will not be visible after today.”
After casting vote from her own constituency in Jhalrapatan, former CM and BJP leader Vasundhara Raje said, “I appeal to everyone, particularly the fresh voters, to cast their votes. It is your responsibility to the country.”
Former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, who is also a Congress candidate from Tonk, cast his vote from Jaipur’s Civil Lines area and appealed to everyone to vote.
Meanwhile, Union Jalshakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat showed confidence in the BJP’s win after casting his vote from Jodhpur. “The BJP will grab power with a complete majority. People want a change this time after suffering under the Congress rule in the last five years when law and order got devastated, and crime and corruption have seen a sharp rise.”
After casting his vote in Jaipur, CEO Gupta appealed to the people to ensure a peaceful polling process and cast their votes at the maximum number. “People are voting with a fresh wisdom this time. From youth, women to the elderly are taking part in this festival of democracy at a maximum number. There are a few EVM malfunctions reported in some places. We are changing the machines there immediately,” he said.
An 88-year-old voter in Jaipur’s C-Scheme area Radhakishan Gupta, said, “I like to come and vote from the booths in the morning, which is why I didn’t opt to vote from home. I will cast my vote for a party who may ensure development in my area.”
95-year-old Vimla Devi, a resident of the walled city said, “I have voted on the basis of the work done.” Standing next to her, two sisters Muskan and Anjali Meena, first time voters, said that they voted on the basis of development work.
“I was enthused since morning to caste my vote. Looking to long queues I returned home twice but now I am standing with my mother to caste vote,” said 21-year-old Muskaan.
In a new initiative of Green Booth by the Ajmer district administration, the first five voters at every booth planted a tree at the ground of the polling stations.
The results of the assembly elections in five states - Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram- will be declared on December 3.
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