A record 72.49 per cent turnout was registered in the Rajasthan Assembly elections on Sunday. It was attributed to increased voter awareness through efforts of the Election Commission and security personnel and appeals by media.
Elections to 199 constituencies out of the total 200 were conducted peacefully, barring a few minor incidents.
Disturbances were witnessed at Saleempur in Dausa, at Rein in Alwar and near Deeg-Kumher in Bharatpur, where police fired in the air to disperse a group of persons trying to disturb polling.
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At Fatehpur in Sikar, a pick-up vehicle was set ablaze, while an attempted booth capturing at Rupwas in Bharatpur led to temporary suspension of voting.
There were also complaints from some constituencies of voters’ names missing from the rolls.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot of the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party president Vasundhara Raje thanked people for their cooperation in the peaceful conduct of the elections.
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Election to Churu, which was postponed after the death of the Bahujan Samaj Party candidate, will be held on December 13.
The turnout in 2008 stood at 67.5 per cent.
A total of 4,08,29,330 people cast their votes at 47,223 polling stations through 53,045 Electronic Voting Machines, sealing the fate of 2096 candidates, including 166 women candidates.
A total of 10,812 polling stations were declared sensitive.
The frontier district of Jaisalmer, with the lowest population density in the State, registered the highest turnout, at 85.52%.