Rajasthan recorded 74.96 per cent polling till 6 pm in 199 of the 200 Assembly seats on Saturday, according to Election Commission officials. Polling was largely peaceful, barring a few stray incidents of violence.
In the last assembly elections in 2018, the state recorded a voter turnout of 74.06 per cent. The Election Commission has set a target of at least 75 per cent turnout in each constituency this time.
Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta said the polling percentage till 5 pm was 68.24 per cent.
“The highest turnout was in Jaisalmer district, followed by Hanumangarh and Dholpur districts,” Gupta said at a press conference after the polling ended.
Polling at more than 51,000 polling booths in 199 assembly constituencies began at 7 am and ended at 6 pm, but officials said those already in queue at the polling booths were allowed to vote. Counting of votes will be on December 3.
Polling in the Karanpur Assembly constituency in Sriganganagar was postponed due to the death of the Congress candidate.
There are more than 5.25 crore registered voters in 199 seats, while 1,862 candidates are in the fray.
The Election Commission had made elaborate arrangements to ensure smooth polling with more than 1.70 lakh security personnel being deployed across the state.
Rajasthan Election: Violence reported in some parts
In Sanwler village of Kaman in Deeg district, two people, including a policeman, were injured in a stone-pelting incident.
“Police fired 12 rounds in the air to disperse the crowd. Voting was disrupted for a few minutes due to the incident,” Deeg Superintendent of Police (SP) Brijesh Upadhyay said.
In Sikar’s Fatehpur, two groups clashed and a jawan was injured in the violence.
“Stone pelting occurred outside a polling booth. One jawan was injured in the stone pelting. No civilian was injured. Around five to seven people have been detained,” Fatehpur Deputy Superintendent of Police Ram Pratap said.
An altercation occurred between a polling agent and a person outside a polling booth in Dholpur’s Bari seat.
“Two vehicles were damaged in the ensuing violence. The polling was stopped for some time,” Dholpur Collector Anil Kumar Agarwal said.
In Uniara of Tonk district, 40-50 people tried to enter a polling booth, however, the situation was brought under control, Superintendent of Police Rajarshi Raj said.
The Congress is aiming to buck the trend of the ruling party being voted out every five years, while the BJP is eyeing a return in the state ahead of the Lok Sabha polls next year.