FINGERS INKED, NOW FINGERS CROSSED

Jaipur: More than 74.13 per cent of the electorate in Rajasthan voted on Saturday in a bipolar contest involving the Congress and the BJP to elect the next government. The polling percentage is tentative till late Saturday and is likely to increase by Sunday, said Chief Election Officer Praveen Gupta.

The polling passing off peacefully barring a few stray incidents of violence. Voters across the state were seen participating enthusiastically and casting their franchise in the festival of democracy.

Polling at more than about 51,890 polling booths in 199 assembly constituencies began at 7 am and ended at 6 pm. Voters who reached the booths before 6 pm were allowed to vote beyond the deadline also.

Detailed and regular exhaustive reviews with Chief Secretaries/DGs of Police of neighboring States and other enforcement agencies by the Commission ensured smooth, free, fair, inclusive and accessible elections in a single phase across 199 ACs in Rajasthan on Saturday.

In the last assembly elections in 2018, the state recorded a voter turnout of 74.06 per cent. The Election Commission had set a target of at least 75 per cent turnout in each constituency this time.

Nearly 10 per cent of the electorate cast their votes in the first two hours of voting and the figure went up to nearly 25 per cent by 11 am and to more than 40 per cent by 1 pm.

Polling in the Karanpur assembly constituency in Sri Ganganagar has been postponed due to the death of the Congress candidate.

The votes will be counted on December 3.