Rajasthan Elections: 74% Voter Turnout, Results Out on 11 December

Around 74 percent of more than 4.74 crore registered voters exercised their franchise in Rajasthan where elections were held on Friday, 7 December, for 199 of the 200 Assembly seats.

At the close of the polling, the Election Commission said the turnout was 73.85 per cent, less than a percentage point short of the 75.23 percent registered in 2013, reported PTI.

Officials said the final figure could be higher.

There were reports of EVMs malfunctioning at some polling booths. The police reported a few clashes among supporters, but said polling was largely peaceful.

The results for the Rajasthan Assembly elections will be declared on 11 December, along with those from Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram.

Stay with The Quint on 11 December to know who finally wins the race to the throne in Jaipur.

Will Rajasthan see a break in the 25-year trend of alternating between the BJP and the Congress governments every consecutive term, as the state goes to polls on 7 December?

In Rajasthan, the BJP is fighting anti-incumbency to retain power though no party has been repeated after one term in the last 20 years. With the poll surveys predicting that Congress was ahead, the BJP has made persistent efforts over the last few days to shore up its prospects with Modi, the main vote getter for the BJP, addressing around 12 rallies.

VASUNDHARA RAJE

The election, which is seen as a do-or-die situation for Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, will also decide her fate within the BJP.

ASHOK GEHLOT

Two time-CM Ashok Gehlot is not only an experienced administrator, but also enjoys a loyal vote-base. He has the ability to swing sections of the OBC vote towards the Congress.

SACHIN PILOT

Sachin Pilot, the son of former Dausa strongman Rajesh Pilot, is perhaps the most likely choice for the Congress' CM candidate. It will be interesting to see how things unfold for Pilot, with the BJP contesting its only Muslim candidate against against the Congress leader in the Muslim-dominated seat of Tonk.

Campaigning in the high-stakes 7 December Assembly elections, dubbed as the semi-final before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, ended in Rajasthan on Wednesday, 5 December with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi making a concerted attempt on the last day to win the contest for their parties.

The campaign in both the states has been bitter with personalised attacks by leaders of various parties.

BJP President Amit Shah has also been holding road shows and addressing press conferences in Rajasthan. The BJP had won 163 seats in Rajasthan in 2013 elections while Congress bagged 21.

On the other side, Rahul Gandhi has been on a relentless campaign in both Rajasthan and Telangana. The party has not projected a chief ministerial candidate in both the states.

Voting in 199 out of the 200 Rajasthan constituencies began at 8 am on Thursday, 7 December. Polling in Alwar district’s Ramgarh has been postponed due to the death of Bahujan Samaj Party candidate Laxman Singh.

Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje casts her vote at polling booth no. 31A in Jhalrapatan constituency of Jhalawar and said she is confident of the BJP’s win in the state.

An 80-year-old woman cast her vote at booth no. 103 in Sardarpura constituency of Jodhpur district.

Union Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore casts his votes at polling booth 252 in Vaishali Nagar, Jaipur.

Voting is yet to begin in two polling booths Jalore’s Ahor following EVM malfunction, reported ANI.

Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot said his party will sit and decide who will become the chief minister after they get a majority in the election.

Congress leader and former chief minister Ashok Gehlot cast his vote at polling booth number 106 in Jodhpur. While talking to reporters, he said he was confident that his party will win with a massive mandate and form the government in the state.

Following a technical glitch, an EVM has been replaced at polling booth number 172 in Bikaner's Kisamidesar.

Voters created ruckus at two polling booths - booth no. 253 and 254 in the Ahor constituency of Jalore, ANI reported. The incident happened as voting has been halted following EVM malfunction.

Here is a look at the district-wise polling percentage till 11 am.

BJP’s election management committee co-convener Arjun Ram Meghwal stands in queue to cast his vote at polling booth number 172 in Bikaner.

Erstwhile royals of Jodhpur, Gaj Singh and his wife cast their votes at polling booth number 194 in Sardarpura constituency, reported ANI.

Over 250 polling booths will be fully operated by women, while three will be operated by differently-abled persons in Rajasthan.

Violence marred voting in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, 7 December, as vehicles were set on fire and vandalised in a clash between two groups near a polling booth at Subhash school in Fatehpur. Voting was halted for 30 minutes and resumed after miscreants were removed from the spot by the police, reported ANI.

Eighty five-year-old voter Gita Devi, hailing for Alwar, says that she has voted to ensure better healthcare for old people.

"I've also voted for the government which will work for women's safety," she added.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi warned party workers to be vigilant after polls close in Rajasthan and Telangana on Friday evening.

“In MP, EVM’s behaved strangely after polling... In Modi’s India, the EVMs have mysterious powers [sic],” he said.

The voter turnout till 3 pm was 59.43%, tweeted the official spokesperson of the Election Commission of India.

As voting concluded in Rajasthan and the exit poll predictions were released, Congress leader Sachin Pilot told CNN-News18 that he believed that the Congress is heading for victory in Rajasthan.

Pilot also reportedly slammed the Modi government for using the ED, CBI and other agencies against the Opposition.