Raj records 59.19% turnout till 5pm
Rajasthan recorded over 59.19% voter turnout till 5pm across the remaining 13 constituencies during the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections on Friday, said officials, adding that the elections were held largely peacefully except for a few incidents of clashes reported in Barmer which also recorded the highest polling.
At 69.79%, the highest polling till the filing of this report was recorded in Barmer constituency, followed by Banswara (68.71%), and Kota (65.38%) while the lowest polling was recorded in Pali (51.75%), TonkSawai Madhopur (51.92%), and Rajsamand (52.17%), said the officials.
The final turnout report will be updated later in the day. The second phase of the elections in which 27,896,376 from 13 constituencies took part on Friday will decide the fate of 152 candidates. The 13 constituencies include Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Kota-Bundi, JhalawarBaran, Barmer- Jaisalmer, Jalore-Sirohi, Pali, Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Banswara-Dungarpur, Bhilwara, and Jodhpur.
During the first phase on April 19, the state had recorded a 57.88% turnout, including the postal ballots, which was nearly 6% down from the 2019 figure of 63.75%. The state, meanwhile had recorded a 68.17% turnout during the second phase in the last general elections in 2019 leading to the total turnout at 66.34%, said officials.
The turnout in the Banswara’s Bagidora assembly seat where the by-poll took place simultaneously along with the general election due to the resignation of the former Congress MLA and now the BJP’s Banswara candidate Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya also recorded a 73.25% turnout on Friday.
According to the Election Commission data, 68,561 elderly and specially-abled people have already cast their votes through home voting, which had started on April 5.
Clashes reported in pockets of Barmer
Polling was majorly peaceful in Rajasthan except for a few reports of violent incidents in Barmer, said people familiar with the matter.
Polling at some places was also put on hold, amid allegations of heated arguments and clashes, and resumed later after the tense situation was brought under control.
Barmer is witnessing a triangular contest between Congress candidate Ummedaram Beniwal, independent Ravindra Singh Bhati and BJP’s Kailash Chaudhary.At a booth in Sheo, supporters of Bhati and Beniwal allegedly went up in arms against each other, said the people.Since morning, a slew of videos of clashes among the supporters of candidates and the police across the booths in Barmer-Jaisalmer also surfaced on the social media.
A few hours after the polling started, Bhati took his X and alleged that “his agents were thrown out of the booths in Baytu area and his name on the EVM was also covered by the agents of BJP and Congress.”
He alleged that his brother with a group of supporters went to visit the polling stations in Jaisalmer area “but were asked to leave the district by the police”. In a reply to his thread, the local Balotra police, however, said that “a bolero with 40 to 50 people arrived in the district who were not the voters of Jaisalmer. Hence they were asked to leave the place considering the model code of conduct.”
In a video of the incident on social media, a group of police constables were also seen threatening them and chasing while another video of from another booth from Sheo also showed the police personnel engaging into a fierce brawl with the local voters in a polling station following which the polling was also stopped for some time.
Meanwhile, Congress MLA Harish Chaudhary also alleged that the his party supporters were thrashed by the BJP workers in front of the police in Thumbli.
“The EVMs were rigged in those booths. But the police did not take any step. My agents were injured. The polling was also closed following which the Congress supporters started protesting at the booths. Yet, they are not letting us caste the votes. When our chief election agent went to lodge a complaint at the local police station, he was kicked out. I urge the Election Commission to take immediate action into the matter and conduct a re-poll in the area.”
Some videos also went viral on social media in which voters were heard alleging that their vehicles had been stopped and seized, forcing them to travel on foot. Hitting out at the authorities, Bhati also alleged, “The government is trying its best to reduce polling. Many vehicles are being stopped. Many people are being stopped. Whatever they can do, they are doing it. I would like to tell them that the people of Barmer, Jaisalmer, and Balotra are strong. You can’t do anything by stopping like this.”
In another post on X, Congress candidate Ummedaram Beniwal accused Bhati of booth capturing. He wrote, “The code of conduct of the Election Commission is being openly flouted. Voting is taking place inside the centre. The main gate of the centre has been decorated with the banner of the independent candidate. In Sheo, Jaisalmer, Siwana, fake voting is being done by outsiders by capturing booths at many places. Congress polling agents are being assaulted and threatened.”
However, the police denied such allegations. “The polling was largely peaceful in the area. Our mobile party and the supervisors have also been constantly patrolling the area. No such incidence has been reported so far,” the Barmer police said on X.
In another incident a clash broke out between two groups, during which two people were injured in Mahabar village of Barmer. Barmer SP Narendra Singh Meena said: “There was a clash between two parties. Two people have been detained. The two people who got injured who were sent to the hospital”.
Meanwhile, in another incident in Jodhpur’s Pipad City, a sarpanch identified as Thagla Chaudhary along with his three aides was arrested on Friday for allegedly assaulting a GRPF constable Bhoma Ram. “The constable tried to stop them when they were filming the work of the mobile parties inside the polling stations. But they thrashed the constable following which we arrested them,” said Jodhpur Rural SP Dharmendra Singh.
Reports of technical glitches, poll boycott
Technical malfunction in the EVM machines was reported in Udaipur and Tonk causing lower turnout in the morning as the polling was stopped for over an hour in those places, said officials. Earlier, the voters from at least four villages in Udaipur, Tonk, Chittorgarh, and Barmer also boycotted the elections alleging “administrative ignorance to their long-time issues such as water shortage, poor roads, and rampant business of illegal alcohol shops”.
In another village under the Kutambhi gram panchayat of the Choti Saravan area of Banswara, residents also boycotted voting over the prolonged demand of a power plant. Banswara divisional commissioner Neeraj Kumar meanwhile, suspended an employee, Dhanpaal Katara, of the Mahatma Gandhi English Medium School following “irregularities in his polling work”.
The polling on Friday started from 7 am, chief electoral officer Praveen Gupta said.ADGP Vishal Bansal said: “The polling took place amid tight security arrangements. At least 75,000 police personnel have been be deployed across the 13 constituencies.”
“A total of 175 companies of central arm forces along with 18,400 home guards, and 1,600 jawans have also been deployed to ensure a violence-free election,” said the ADGP.
CEO Gupta urged the people to ensure a peaceful polling process and cast their votes in maximum numbers. “People are voting with a fresh wisdom this time. From youth to women to the elderly...everyone is taking part... A few EVM malfunctions were reported in some places. The machines were changed immediately,” he said.