Rajasthan bypolls:Over 37 per cent voters exercise franchise till noon

Jaipur: Voting picked up by noon in Ajmer and Alwar Lok Sabha constituencies and Mandalgarh Assembly seat in Rajasthan with over 37 per cent of voters exercsing their franchise in the by-elections that are underway. Alwar Lok Sabha recorded 37.16 per cent voting, Ajmer Lok Sabha recorded 36.54 per cent voting while the voter turnout in Mandalgarh Assembly constituency was 45.08 per cent, according to the office of the chief electoral officer. 1,987 polling booths have been set up in Alwar onstituency where 18.27 lakh voters are registered while there are 18.42 lakh voters and 1, 925 polling booths in Ajmer constituency. 

In Bhilwara district's Mangalgarh Assembly constituency, there are 231 lakh voters and 282 polling booths. Arrangemens for webcasting are in place in as many as 313 polling booths (140 in Alwar, 153 in Ajmer and 20 in Mangalgarh) in all the three constituencies, according to Chief Electoral Officer Ashwini Bhagat. There are 11 candidates in Alwar, 23 in Ajmer and 8 candidate in Mandalgarh assembly constituencies in the fray. Counting will take place on February 1. The BJP has fielded Labour Minister Jaswant Singh Yadav and former union minister Sanwar Lal Jat’s son Ramswaroop Lamba as its candidates for Alwar and Ajmer Lok Sabha seats respectively while Shakti Singh Hada is contesting bypolls as BJP candidate from Mandalgarh Assembly constituency in Bhilwara district. 

The Congress has fielded Vivek Dhakad as its candidate in Mandalgarh Assembly constituency, former MLA Raghu Sharma on Ajmer Lok Sabha seat and Karan Singh Yadav in Alwar lok Sabha constituency. The bypolls have been necessitated due to the deaths of Ajmer MP Sanwar Lal Jat, Alwar MP Chand Nath and Mandalgarh MLA Kirti Kumari (all of BJP) last year. Sanwar Lal Jat suffered a cardiac arrest during a party meeting in Jaipur which was being addressed by party president Amit Shah in July and died in August last year. Mahant Chand Nath died in September after prolonged illness while Mandalgarh MLA Kirti Kumari died in August due to illness.