Rajasthan sees 68%-plus voting, largely peaceful polls

Voting in Rajasthan’s Assembly polls was largely peaceful on Saturday, with authorities reporting a voter turnout of more than 68% till 6 pm, the end of polling time.

Top leaders of the state, including chief minister Ashok Gehlot, Union ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, and Kailash Chaudhary, former chief minister Vasundhara Raje, and former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, were among the first to cast their vote. In their interactions with reporters, the leaders expressed confidence that their respective parties will get the mandate of the people.

Two governors -- Rajasthan's Kalraj Mishra and Assam's Gulab Chand Kataria, native of the desert state, also cast their votes. Chief minister Gehlot (Sardarpura), Vasundhara Raje (Jhalrapatan), Sachin Pilot (Tonk), state Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra (Lachhmangarh), and Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) convenor Hanuman Beniwal (Khinvsar) are some of the key faces among the 1,862 candidates in the fray.


The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are also contesting the assembly polls. Polling began at more than 51,000 booths at 7 am.

The voting percentage till 6 pm was more than 68%, an official said. In the first two hours of voting, nearly 10% of voters had cast their votes, and the figure went up to nearly 25% by 11 am, and to more than 40% by 1 pm, he said.

Rajasthan has 200 assembly seats, but polling is being held for 199 seats as election in Karanpur in Sriganganagar district has been postponed following the death of Congress candidate Gurmeet Singh Koonar. There are 52,538,105 voters in the 199 assembly constituencies. According to officials, polling in one constituency was postponed due to the death of a candidate.

The Election Commission has made elaborate arrangements to ensure smooth polling. More than 1.7 lakh security personnel have been deployed across the state to maintain law and order