Over 41 pc polling recorded in 12 LS seats in Rajasthan till 3 pm

Jaipur: Over 41 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the first eight hours of polling on Friday in 12 parliamentary constituencies of Rajasthan where voting is underway in the first phase of the Lok Sabha election, officials said.

According to the Election Commission, polling began at 7 am amid tight security arrangements and 41.51 per cent voting took place till 3 pm.

The highest voter turnout of 50.14 per cent has been recorded in the Ganganagar Lok Sabha seat while Karauli-Dholpur saw the lowest turnout of 33.86 per cent, it said. Jaipur so far recorded a poll percentage of 49.48.

There are 25 Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan. In the first phase, voting is being held in Churu, Nagaur, Ganganagar, Jhunjhunu, Bikaner, Sikar, Jaipur Rural, Jaipur, Alwar, Bharatpur, Karauli-Dholpur and Dausa Lok Sabha seats, and 114 candidates are in the fray.

Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra, Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and other leaders cast their votes in the initial hours. Mishra and his wife Satyawati Mishra cast their votes at a polling booth in C Scheme.

"Voting is not only a constitutional right but also the duty of every citizen of India. This strengthens democracy," the governor said later.

The chief minister exercised his franchise at a polling station of Patnik Jagatpura and expressed confidence that the NDA will win over 400 seats across the country in this general election. He said people of the state were voting for 'guarantees' of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

On the other hand, Pilot said people want change and this election was going to be for change in the country.

"The BJP had a long tenure of 10 years. Now people are bored and I am convinced that the Congress will win more seats than the BJP in Rajasthan. We will win across the country and the INDIA bloc will get a majority," he told reporters after casting his vote.

Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari also cast her vote in this phase.

Former BJP state president Satish Poonia cast his vote at a polling booth in Rani Sati Nagar in Jaipur during the day.

While voting did not appear to be picking up well in several pockets during initial hours, elderly citizens as well as newlyweds were seen arriving at polling booths to exercise their franchise.

Shivani, a resident of Dampura village in Dholpur district, reached her polling booth before entering the wedlock. Dressed in bridal attire, she also took a selfie at a 'selfie point' after casting her vote.

In Jaipur, a 95-year-old retired naval officer reached a polling station with his family members to vote. He said although he could have chosen the 'voting from home' option, he preferred to cast his vote at a polling station.

Newlywed Rohit and Sonia Chaudhary went to a polling station in Jaipur' Purani Basti to cast their votes. They tied the nuptial knot on Thursday night.

Rajasthan Director General of Police (DGP) Utkal Ranjan Sahoo said tight security arrangements have been made for free, fair and peaceful voting. The Rajasthan Police, along with companies of the Central Armed Forces and Home Guard personnel, has been deployed to maintain peace and law and order.

According to Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta, a total of 2.54 crore people are eligible to vote in the first phase and around 23,000 polling booths have been set up in this phase.