40 per cent voting in Rajasthan bypolls

Jaipur: Around 40 per cent voting was recorded till late afternoon in the bypolls in the Lok Sabha constituencies of Alwar and Ajmer, and the Mandalgarh Assembly seat in Rajasthan on Monday.

According to information, a technical error erupted in an EVM machine in village Kekadi due to which voting was stopped for sometime.

In Keladi's Manda village, villagers boycotted elections and hence polling booths remained vacant. The villagers were protesting as they have not been getting adequate water supply. Also their village roads lie in pathetic conditions due to which they decided to shun elections

Dense fog in Alwar resulted in low turnout in the first hour, but voting picked up after 9.30 a.m. Voting picked up after noon in all three constituencies as voters in big numbers came out to cast their votes.

The results of the polling will be declared on February 1.

According to the Election Commission, 4,194 polling booths have been set up for polling in the three constituencies.

Some 39 lakh voters are eligible to vote in these elections. While Alwar has a total of 18.27 lakh voters, Ajmer has 18.43 lakh voters and Mandalgarh has 2.31 lakh voters.

For the first time, EVMs with the photos of candidates has been provided to avoid confusion among voters regarding different candidates with the same name. 

A total of 11 candidates in Alwar, 23 in Ajmer and eight candidates in Mandalgarh are in the fray.

The elections come as a litmus test for the BJP government, which is facing an uphill battle as the Rajput community has openly announced its support for the Congress in all three seats.

Caste equations are also playing a major role in these by-polls. Two Yadav stalwarts are contesting in Alwar and Jat and Brahmin candidates can be seen in Ajmer and Mandalgarh, respectively.

The by-polls are being held as all three BJP seats fell vacant after the death of the lawmakers. While Ajmer MP Sanwar Lal Jat collapsed at a meeting in Jaipur and passed away on August 9, Alwar MP Mahant Chand Nath died on September 17 following a prolonged illness. The BJP's Mandalgarh MLA Kirti Kumari died of swine flu on August 28.

In Ajmer, 6,000 security personnel have been sent to ensure smooth polling, while 5,000 security personnel have been sent to Alwar.