LS elections: Rajasthan witnesses nearly 12 per cent polling in first two hours

Jaipur, Apr 26 (PTI) Nearly 12 percent voter turnout was recorded in the first two hours of polling across 13 Lok Sabha seats and one assembly constituency in Rajasthan on Friday.

The voting percentage in the first two hours in the second phase of the Lok Sabha polls is slightly above that of the first phase. The polling percentage in 12 Lok Sabha seats, which went to polls on April 19, by this time was 10.67 per cent.

Voting was underway in Barmer-Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Jalore, Chittorgarh, Banswara, Kota-Bundi, Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Pali, Udaipur, Rajsamand, Kota and Jhalawar-Baran, along with the Bagidora Assembly constituency where a bypoll is underway.

Bagidora assembly seat saw a voting percentage of 13 percent till 9 am.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who is contesting from Kota-Bundi, BJP state president CP Joshi, BJP candidate from Chittorgarh, Union minister and BJP candidate from Jodhpur Gajendra Singh Shekhawat cast their votes in the initial hours.

Assembly speaker Vasudev Devnani cast his vote in Ajmer while former chief ministers Vasundhara Raje and Ashok Gehlot exercised their franchise in Jhalawar and Jodhpur respectively.

Around 2.8 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in the second phase of the polls. This is the final phase of polling in Rajasthan.

Voting for 12 seats in the desert state was held in the first phase on April 19.

The Bagidora Assembly seat in Banswara fell vacant after Congress MLA Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya switched over to the BJP. Malviya is contesting the Lok Sabha election from Banswara as a BJP candidate.