Rajasthan Election 2023 Voting LIVE Updates: 68.24 per cent voter turnout till 5 pm
Rajasthan Election 2023: Out of 199 seats, a direct contest is expected between the ruling Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party on about 150 seats. Over 5.25 crore voters are eligible to participate in the elections across the state. There are 1862 candidates competing for the 199 seats
FollowRajasthan Election 2023: 68.24 per cent of votes have been cast in Rajasthan to elect representatives for the state's 200-seat assembly. Stringent security measures have been implemented to ensure the orderly conduct of the voting process.
In political spheres, this state election is being perceived as a pivotal struggle to alter governing norms and traditions. Following the unfortunate demise of Gurmeet Singh Kunnar, the Congress candidate and MLA from the Karanpur assembly constituency in Sriganganagar district, the election for the Karanpur seat has been postponed.
With elections underway for 199 out of 200 seats, a direct confrontation between the ruling Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is anticipated on 150 seats. Across the state, over 5.25 crore voters are eligible to participate in the electoral process. Officials have reported a total of 1862 candidates vying for the 199 seats, with a voter count of 5,25,38,105. The state has established 51,507 polling stations at 36,101 locations, including live webcasting at 26,393 polling stations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Election Commission appealed to peple to come out in large numbers and cast their vote. PM Modi posted on X, "Voting will be held today for Rajasthan Assembly elections. I request all the voters to create a new record of voting by exercising their franchise in maximum numbers. On this occasion, my best wishes to all the young friends of the state who are going to vote for the first time."
Both BJP and Congress are confident of victory in the assembly elections. Congress leader Sachin Pilot said, "We will definitely get the numbers to form the government. People here want to vote for those who work and remain committed." At the same time, BJP MP Rajyavardhan Rathod said that Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot will get a shock when the votes are counted on December 3.
A look at key constituencies
Sardarpura: Ashok Gehlot from Congress has held the Sardarpura seat since 1998, representing it for 25 years.
Tonk: Sachin Pilot secured a substantial victory in 2018 with over 1,09,000 votes against the BJP candidate Yoonus Khan.
Lachhmangarh: Govind Singh Dotasra, representing Congress since 2008, won by a significant margin of 22,052 votes in 2018.
Jhalrapatan: Vasundhara Raje of BJP, a two-time Chief Minister, has been the representative since 2003.
Amber: Satish Poonia of BJP won the Amber constituency with 46% of the votes in 2018.
Key candidates to watch:
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot: The CM is contesting against BJP's Dr. Mahendra Singh Rathore in Sardarpura. In 2018, Gehlot defeated BJP's Shambhu Singh by a margin of 45,597 votes.
Sachin Pilot: The Tonk representative since 2018, battling BJP's Ajit Singh Mehta after defeating Yoonus Khan by a margin of 54,179 votes.
Govind Singh Dotasra: The current Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee president, securing victory in Lachhmangarh by a substantial margin in 2018.
Vasundhara Raje: Representing Jhalrapatan since 2003, contesting against Congress' Ram Lal Chouhan after her victory in 2018.
Satish Poonia: Deputy Leader of the Opposition, continuing to represent Amber after winning against the Congress' Prashant Sharma in 2018.
