Rajasthan Civic Polls See 70% Turnout, EVM Glitches and Sporadic Clashes

A tentative 70.01 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 6 pm on Friday in the second and final phase of Rajasthan’s urban local body elections, amid reports of EVM glitches, alleged bogus voting and sporadic clashes at several places.

According to provisional figures, 61,35,153 of 87,63,595 eligible voters had cast their ballots across 147 urban local bodies. Polling began at 7 am and was scheduled to continue until 6 pm. The final turnout is expected to change after votes cast by electors who had entered polling stations before the closing time are included.

Among the six municipal corporations, Jodhpur recorded the highest turnout at 71.10 per cent, followed by Pali at 70.94 per cent, Udaipur at 67.26 per cent, Ajmer at 63.65 per cent, Jaipur at 62.88 per cent and Kota at 57.02 per cent.

Dhorimanna municipality in Balotra district registered 91.59 per cent polling, while several smaller civic bodies recorded turnout above 85 per cent.

EVM-related disruptions were reported from Jaipur, Jhunjhunu, Kota and Pushkar, among other places. In Kota, polling was briefly halted after an EVM malfunctioned at a booth in Ward 22. Voters in parts of Ward 3 also reportedly faced difficulties because of discrepancies between their names and the Booth Level Officer list.

Sporadic incidents were reported in Sikar, Sri Ganganagar, Jaipur and Chirawa. In Chirawa, supporters of two candidates clashed, leaving the son of a BJP candidate injured.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, former chief minister Ashok Gehlot, Congress leader Sachin Pilot and BJP state president Madan Rathore were among prominent leaders who cast their votes.

The first phase, held on September 9 across 162 urban local bodies, recorded 76.41 per cent turnout. Counting for councillor posts will take place on September 14, while mayors and chairpersons will be elected on September 21.