Rajasthan assembly elections: Voting for 199 seats today, counting on Dec 11
Rajasthan assembly elections: Polling will be held between 8 am and 5 pm for 199 of the 200 assembly seats, with the main contest between the BJP and the Congress.
Over 4.75 crore voters in Rajasthan, where the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress are locked in a tough fight, will vote on Friday to elect a new assembly.
Polling will start at 8 am and end at 5 pm. Electronic Voting Machines and VVPATs (voter verifiable paper audit trail) will be used in all the constituencies. Voters will also have NOTA (none of the above) option.
As many as 2,274 candidates including 189 women are in the fray in 199 out of the 200 assembly constituencies. The election in Alwar district’s Ramgarh constituency has been postponed due to the death of Bahujan Samaj Party candidate Laxman Singh.
The Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government is fighting anti-incumbency to retain power in the state, which has not voted the same party to power for more than one term in the last 20 years.
While the BSP and some other smaller outfits are also contesting the 2018 assembly elections, the main fight is mainly between the BJP and the Congress. Both parties are, however, facing a challenge from disappointed ticket-seekers. There are about 50 seats in which rebel candidates from both parties are in the fray, refusing to step down in favour of the official nominees, according to news agency IANS.
Rajasthan had seen a high-volume, often bitter campaign with personalized attacks by leaders of various parties. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi, BJP president Amit Shah were among those who had addressed multiple rallies across the state.
While exits polls results are likely soon after polling ends, results will be declared on December 11 along with those of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram, where elections were held in November, and Telangana which also went to the polls on Friday.
