Rajasthan Records 58% Turnout in Lok Sabha Election's First Phase

Rajasthan witnessed a voter turnout of approximately 58 per cent across 12 parliamentary constituencies during the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections held on Friday. According to official reports, the election process was conducted smoothly without any incidents of disruption. The Chief Electoral Officer, Praveen Gupta, revealed that an estimated 57.87 percent of the electorate, including 0.61% through postal ballots, participated in the voting process. This marks a slight decrease from the 63.71 percent voter turnout recorded in these constituencies during the 2019 elections.

Approximately 2.54 crore individuals were eligible to vote in this phase, with around 23,000 polling booths facilitated to accommodate the voters. Gupta noted that the final voter turnout percentage would be confirmed on Saturday after collating data from all polling stations. Despite the official closing time at 6 pm, many polling stations witnessed long queues of voters waiting to cast their ballots.

The enthusiasm for voting was palpable from as early as 7 am, with a significant number of voters from both urban and rural areas arriving at polling stations. The Ganganagar Lok Sabha seat recorded the highest voter turnout at 65.64 per cent, a decrease from its previous turnout of 74.39 percent in 2019. Conversely, Karauli-Dholpur experienced the lowest turnout at 49.29 per cent, down from 55.06 percent.

Other constituencies also saw varied voter participation: Jaipur (62.87%), Bikaner (53.96%), Churu (62.98%), Sikar (57.28%), Jaipur Rural (56.58%), Alwar (59.79%), Dausa (55.21%), Bharatpur (52.69%), Jhunjhunu (51.62%), and Nagaur (56.89%). A total of 114 candidates contested in this first phase of elections, with the remaining 13 seats in Rajasthan scheduled for voting on April 26.

Prominent figures such as Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra, Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, and former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot were among the early voters. Governor Mishra emphasized voting as not only a constitutional right but also a duty that strengthens democracy. Chief Minister Sharma expressed confidence in the NDA's victory, attributing it to the guarantees provided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.

Sachin Pilot voiced a desire for change, expressing belief in Congress's potential to secure more seats than the BJP in Rajasthan and across the country. Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari and former BJP state president Satish Poonia also participated in this electoral phase.

The elections saw participation from all walks of life, including elderly citizens and newly married couples who prioritized casting their votes amidst personal milestones. However, Palawala Jatan village under Dausa constituency boycotted the elections due to unmet development needs post-delimitation.

Rajasthan Director General of Police Utkal Ranjan Sahoo assured that extensive security measures were in place to ensure a free, fair, and peaceful voting process across all constituencies.