Rajasthan Polls 2023 LIVE | Voting Ends With Over 68% Turnout

Voting concluded in 199 out of 200 assembly constituencies in Rajasthan on Saturday held in a single phase. The results will be declared on December 3.

Voting in the Karanpur seat was postponed following the death of a Congress candidate.

Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak speaking to ANI in Lucknow said, "The BJP is going to win in Rajasthan with a majority. People are supporting the BJP beyond caste and religion."

Rajasthan chief electoral officer (CEO) Praveen Gupta in Jaipur said, "As far as problems with EVM are concerned, our state has the least number of problems with EVM during the poll & mock poll..."

Former Rajasthan deputy CM Sachin Pilot on Saturday said that the people of the state have sealed the future in EVM boxes. He said, "People have taken the decision and sealed the future of Rajasthan in the boxes (EVMs). I am hopeful that Congress will get a majority on December 3, when the counting will be done. I even want to thank our opposition for putting forward their views. The elections have concluded very well."

"Everyone will wait for December 3 now and I hope Congress will form its government in Rajasthan...If we cross the majority mark, Congress MLAs and the high command will decide on what role will be given to whom," added Pilot.

Congress leader Sachin Pilot emphasized the importance of winning the elections and acknowledged his commitment to respecting the people's choice. He stated that if they achieve a majority in the December 3 results, the Congress MLAs and leadership will determine specific roles and responsibilities.

The electronic voting machines at a polling booth in Jaipur are being sealed and secured. The counting of votes is set to take place on December 3.

According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), Rajasthan witnessed a voter turnout of 68.24 per cent till 5pm during the ongoing polling.

State assembly speaker CP Joshi has cast his vote in the ongoing state assembly elections.

The Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) are being carefully sealed and secured at a polling booth in Savali village, Bikaner. The votes will be counted on December 3.

According to reports, the amount of illegal cash, liquor, drugs, and other items that could potentially be used to influence voters in Rajasthan reached a total of Rs 690 crore. This represents a significant increase of 970 per cent compared to the previous assembly election held in 2018.

Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot arrived at Jaipur airport and exuded confidence of Congress' win. He said, "We have public's support on our side and we will win and form our government."

Rajasthan commenced polling on Saturday at 7am for 199 constituencies. In the span of eight hours, until 3pm, the state recorded a voter turnout of 55.63%. However, the polling for the Karanpur assembly constituency was halted due to the unfortunate passing of the Congress candidate, Gurmeet Singh Koonar.

He said, "here has been stone pelting among some people after a verbal clash. Some people have been disbursed, and some people have been detained. We will take strict action. The polling is underway but this place (of clashes) is away from the polling booth. There is no hindrance to voting... Those who have not cast their vote yet should go and vote. Security would be provided for everyone."

Former Member of Parliament from the Congress party, Manvendra Singh, and his wife Chitra Singh arrived at a polling booth in Mewa Nagar, Barmer district, to vote in the Rajasthan assembly elections on Saturday. Manvendra Singh is the son of the late BJP leader Jaswant Singh, who had an illustrious political career serving in both Houses of Parliament and holding various significant positions in the NDA Cabinet. Manvendra Singh is contesting as a Congress candidate from the Siwana Assembly constituency in Rajasthan, while the BJP has nominated Hameer Singh Bhayal as their candidate against him.

Rajasthan Congress leader Bulaki Das Kalla on Saturday said that the BJP is an expert in making issues out of nowhere, while addressing reporters amid ongoing polling process.

He said, "BJP is an expert in making issues out of non-issues. They don't have any issues regarding what they will do in Rajasthan. Our party has got vision in its manifesto, and the facilities provided earlier (by Congress in Rajasthan) are also well-known to everyone. People know that the Congress party is for the poor while the BJP is for the rich."

A voter turnout of 55.63 percent was recorded in Rajasthan till 3pm, as per the Election Commission of India data.

A voter turnout of 40.27 percent was recorded in Rajasthan till 1pm, as per the Election Commission of India data.

Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla cast his vote in Kota. While speaking to media persons after casting his vote, Om Birla said, "People are taking active participation in this festival of democracy. Every voter should exercise his right to vote to express her/her views."

A Voter turnout of 24.74 per cent was recorded in Rajasthan till 11 am, as per the data of the Election Commission of India.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot exercises his right to vote in the Sardarpura assembly constituency.

A candidate's polling agent in Pali district of Rajasthan passed away on Saturday, possibly due to a heart attack. The polling for the Rajasthan assembly elections started at 7 am on the same day.

According to an official, Shanti Lal, who was serving as a polling agent at booth number 47 in the Sumerpur assembly constituency, collapsed at the polling center. He was immediately taken to a nearby hospital and later transferred to the district hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead upon arrival.

The official mentioned that the suspected cause of death is a heart attack.

As of 9 am, the voter turnout in Rajasthan stands at 9.77 percent.

He said, "We are contesting (Rajasthan Assembly) elections on local issues and good governance. Some good laws were also passed (in state Assembly). However, those who came from outside (BJP leaders), they only tried to instigate people. People (of Rajasthan) are aware about this."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent his warm regards to the first-time voters in Rajasthan as the voting for 199 Assembly seats commenced on Saturday.

In a post on social media platform X, Prime Minister Modi also called on voters to participate in large numbers and achieve a historic voter turnout.

Voting commenced in 199 out of 200 assembly constituencies in Rajasthan on Saturday, following extensive campaigning by major political parties, including the incumbent Congress and BJP.

The polling, which began at 7 am, will continue until 6 pm. Stringent security measures have been implemented to ensure a peaceful and fair electoral process. The Congress aims for another term, while the BJP seeks to replace the Ashok Gehlot government, relying on the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In this election, there will be a lot of attention on key constituencies such as Sardarpura, Tonk, Jhalarapatan, Nathdwara, Jhunjhunu, Jhotwara, and Churu. Sardarpura is particularly important because Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has consistently won this seat since 1998. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has chosen Mahendra Singh Rathore as their candidate in this traditionally Congress-dominated area.

After the high-voltage election campaigning, Rajasthan is all set to go for polls. The polling will be held in 199 out of 200 constituencies from 7 am to 6 pm. A grand total of 526,901,146 voters will determine the outcome of the elections for 1,875 candidates, which includes 183 female participants. These elections will be conducted across 51,507 polling stations in the assembly constituencies.