Rajasthan civic polls record 20.51% turnout by 10 am amid EVM glitches
Rajasthan recorded a voter turnout of 20.51 per cent till 10 am on Friday as polling began in the second and final phase of the urban local body elections, with EVM glitches reported at several booths and protests breaking out at some places.
According to State Election Commission data, Dhorimanna municipality in Balotra district recorded the highest turnout at 44.38 per cent, while Udaipur Municipal Corporation reported the lowest at 12.06 per cent.
EVM-related problems were reported in Jaipur, Jhunjhunu, Pushkar and some other areas during the initial hours of polling. The glitches disrupted voting and led to protests at some booths.
Polling began at 7 am across 147 urban local bodies, where more than 87 lakh voters are eligible to decide the fate of 18,266 candidates. Voting will continue until 6 pm.
A total of 87,60,884 voters are eligible to cast their votes at 9,758 polling booths covering 4,774 wards across six municipal corporations, 24 municipal councils and 117 municipalities.
Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot voted with his wife Sunita Gehlot, son Vaibhav Gehlot and daughter-in-law Himanshi Gehlot at a polling station in Jodhpur's Mahamandir area. After voting, Gehlot accused the BJP government of weakening the Constitution and said people should “teach it a lesson”.
The BJP, meanwhile, complained to the district election officer in Jodhpur over an alleged Model Code of Conduct violation at the booth where Gehlot voted. The party alleged that a member of the polling team touched Gehlot's feet after he arrived at the station and sought action against the personnel concerned.
BJP state president Madan Rathore voted in Sumerpur in Pali district, while Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma appealed to voters to exercise their franchise.
In Jaipur, a dispute broke out at a polling station in Ward 114 after supporters of an Independent candidate objected to the presence of a Congress candidate inside the booth. Police reached the spot.
In Jhunjhunu's Chidawa municipality, Independent candidate Ashok Sharma alleged that three motorcycle-borne men attacked him before polling and injured him on the head. Police are looking into the allegation.
The six municipal corporations going to polls in this phase are Jaipur, Ajmer, Jodhpur, Kota, Udaipur and Pali. Jaipur is the largest, with 150 wards, 24.33 lakh voters, 2,256 polling booths and 723 candidates.
The first phase was held on September 9 across 162 urban local bodies and recorded a turnout of 76.41 per cent.
Elections to all 309 urban local bodies are being held in two phases. Counting for councillor posts will take place on September 14, while mayors and chairpersons will be elected on September 21 and deputy mayors, deputy chairpersons and municipal vice-presidents on September 22.
