Rajasthan assembly polls: 70% voter turnout recorded, Congress and BJP eye power

Rajasthan Assembluy polls 2023: Congress leader Sachin Pilot after casting his vote on November 25.

The assembly elections for 199 seats officially concluded in Rajasthan on November 25 at 6 pm. The state recorded 70 percent voter turnout, stated the Election Commission (EC).

After weeks of high-voltage campaigning, the fate of 1,862 candidates rested in the hands of 5,25,38,105 voters across the state. According to EC, 65.5 percent voting was seen in Ajmer, 69.71 percent in Alwar, 64.1percent in Jalore and 64.32 percent in Jodhpur, among other key areas.

While Congress aims to retain power in the state, the BJP is hoping to dethrone the former banking on collective leadership.

Several bigwig leaders cast their votes, including Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Sachin Pilot and BJP's Vasundhara Raje.

Also read: Pilot may not tank in Tonk, but it’ll be a close shave

Speaking to reporter after casting his vote, Gehlot expressed confidence that his party will retain power in the state. When asked about the BJP's claim that there is a wave of support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister said that this is assembly polls and not "Modi ji's elections".

"There is no determination in their statements. They will disappear after the polls, but we will stay here... They (BJP) will become invisible after November 2. They will resurface again after five years," Gehlot told news agency ANI.

Meanwhile, the BJP accused Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra of violating poll guidelines with their posts on X. The BJP urged EC to suspend their social media accounts and initiate other actions against them. In their posts, both Congress leaders had urged people to vote for their party. Rajasthan BJP president C P Joshi accused the Congress government of failing to deliver on its promises and indulging in corruption. “After coming to power, the Congress forgot its promises. It only committed corruption and cheated people,” Joshi told PTI in Chittorgarh.

According to PTI, in Sikar’s Fatehpur, two groups clashed and engaged in stone pelting. There were also reports of  a clash between supporters of two candidates in Dholpur’s Bari seat.  Bari District Magistrate,Anil Kumar Agarwal,  said that there were no signs of firing but stones were pelted. "There are no signs of firing but stones were pelted. Polling booths are absolutely safe. Some personal vehicles have been damaged. The atmosphere is peaceful currently," he told news agency ANI.

According to reports, the villagers of Palawala Jatan boycotted the elections as a show of resentment towards public representatives in the area. The boycott was due to their demand to connect Palawala Jatan to Tunga.