50.29% polling in Rajasthan till 3 p.m

Jaipur: Around 50.29 per cent voting was recorded in 12 parliamentary constituencies of Rajasthan till 3 p.m. on Monday in the second phase of polling.

The highest 57.49 per cent polling was recorded in Shri Ganganagar, followed by Jaipur (54.77 per cent) and Alwar (54.45 per cent).

Churu recorded 51.80 per cent voting, Sikar 50.68 per cent, Nagaur 50.39 per cent, Jaipur Rural 49.74 per cent, Bikaner 49.34 per cent, Dausa 49.21 per cent, Jhunjhunu 48.22 per cent, Bharatpur 46.27 per cent and Karauli-Dholpur 42.91 per cent.

Of the 2.30 crore electorate eligible to vote in Rajasthan on Monday, 7 lakh are first-time voters. A total of 134 candidates, including two Union Ministers and 16 women, are in fray for the 12 seats.

In the first phase of polling for 13 Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan on April 29, 45.16 per cent voting was recorded.

Meanwhile, all eyes are set on Bikaner where two cousins are pitted against each other. While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded es-IAS officer Arjunram Meghwal, the Congress has nominated his cousin former IPS Officer Madan Gopal Meghwal.

In Jaipur Rural, two Olympians -- Rajyawardhan Singh Rathore and Krishna Punia -- are in the fray.

In Alwar, it's an interesting contest between Congress' Bhanwar Jitendra Singh and BJP's Baba Balaknath. The Congress is playing son of the soil card against the BJP candidate who hails from Haryana.

In Nagaur, the BJP has formed an alliance with the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party and has fielded Hanuman Beniwal against Jyoti Mirdha of the Congress.

Dausa is witnessing a fight between two women candidates from the Meena community -- Savita Meena of the Congress and Jaskaur Meena of the BJP.