Jaipur. More than 54% voting took place in 12 Lok Sabha constituencies in Rajasthan on Friday in the first phase of general elections. The officers provided this information. A spokesperson of the Election Department said that amidst tight security arrangements and elaborate preparations, voting started at 7 in the morning and till 6 in the evening, 54.97 percent voting was recorded. 114 candidates are in the fray in the first phase of voting in the state. According to the department, the highest 62.93 percent voting took place in Ganganagar Lok Sabha seat while the lowest 47.98 percent voting took place in Jhunjhunu. So far 61.23 percent voting has been recorded in the capital Jaipur.
Similarly, about 52.53 percent voting took place in Bikaner, 61.05 percent in Churu, 55.06 percent in Sikar, 55.44 percent in Jaipur Rural, 55.82 percent in Alwar, 49.57 percent in Dausa, 50.97 percent in Bharatpur and 56.89 percent in Nagaur Lok Sabha constituency. There are total 25 Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan. Various leaders and officials including Governor Kalraj Mishra and Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma cast their votes in their respective areas.
Governor Mishra and his wife Satyawati Mishra voted at a polling booth in C Scheme. After casting his vote, Mishra said, ‘Voting is not only a constitutional right but also a duty of every eligible citizen of India and this strengthens democracy.’
Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma cast his vote
Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma also reached the polling station of Jagatpura with his wife and cast his vote. Later he went to Govinddev Ji temple and worshiped there. Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari also cast her vote at a polling booth here. Union Minister and candidate from Bikaner Arjun Ram Meghwal voted with his family at a polling booth in Bikaner. Congress leader Sachin Pilot said after casting his vote, ‘This time Congress will win more seats than BJP. We are working with full force. I believe that our party and the ‘India’ alliance will get majority because the people want change.
Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta cast his vote at a polling booth in Gandhi Nagar here. State Director General of Police (DGP) Utkal Ranjan Sahu also voted with his wife Anita Sahu at a polling booth here. There was enthusiasm about voting, especially among new voters. At many places here, voters were seen taking selfies after casting their votes. Special decorations were done in many polling stations.
Married couples came to vote
The Election Department has taken several initiatives including giving ‘Best Selfie Award’ at the state level, ‘Scratch Cards’ to voters in collaboration with business organizations and discounts on various products and services for showing inked fingers. Married couples came to vote at many places. Komal Tak, a resident of Jagawata, Nagaur, voted with her husband Nitin Solanki before going to her in-laws’ house after marriage.
Director General of Police said that Rajasthan Police had made adequate security arrangements for free, fair and peaceful voting. According to him, Rajasthan Police as well as companies of Central Armed Forces and Home Guard personnel were deployed to maintain peace and law and order in all these 12 constituencies. In the first phase, 23 thousand 651 polling stations and 719 auxiliary polling stations were created in 12 constituencies. According to Chief Electoral Officer Gupta, the total number of eligible voters in the first phase on Friday was 2.54 crore.
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Tags: jaipur news, Loksabha Election 2024, Loksabha Elections, Rajasthan news
FIRST PUBLISHED: April 19, 2024, 23:06 IST