Rajasthan recorded 40.27 per cent polling for 199 assembly constituencies till 1.30 pm, the Election Commission informed on Saturday.
After intense campaigning by political parties, including the ruling Congress and BJP, major political parties, voting in 199 of the 200 assembly seats in Rajasthan started on Saturday.
Rajasthan BJP leader and Deputy Leader of Opposition Satish Poonia said at the Jhotwara Assembly constituency in Jaipur that the people of Rajasthan are prepared to teach the Congress party a lesson.
“The people of the country have always voted on the national agenda, they have voted on local and state issues as well. The voters of Rajasthan, this time, are ready to teach a lesson to the Congress party,” Poonia said.
“The public is more aware of the issues of law and order, appeasement politics, and farmer loans which might become a cause for the defeat of the Congress party in the state,” he added.
Gurmeet Singh Koonar, a Congress candidate, passed away, consequently postponing the Karanpur constituency elections. Voters can cast ballots till 6 p.m. which started at 7 a.m. today.
In order to guarantee free and fair elections, sufficient security measures have been put in place. The BJP, which is hoping to unseat the Ashok Gehlot administration and is counting on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity, is aiming to win another term in office for the ruling Congress.
Prominent candidates in the fray include Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, former CM Vasundhara Raje, former Deputy CM Sachin Pilot, Congress national spokesperson Gourav Vallabh, Union Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore, Vishwaraj Singh Mewar, Rajasthan Assembly Speaker CP Joshi, and Rajasthan LoP Rajendra Rathore.
Many rebel candidates of BJP and Congress withdrew their names after persuasion. But still, around 45 rebel candidates from both parties are in the fray. These also include MLAs, former MLAs and party officials. The counting of votes will be taken up on December 3.