Editor's Pick | Record 75% turnout in Rajasthan polling

The Assembly election in Rajasthan on Saturday recorded a 75% voter turnout, with the Congress and the BJP locked in a close battle. Save for some minor instances of violence between party supporters, the polling exercise was conducted peacefully. Voting was held across 51,100 stations in 199 of the 200 Assembly constituencies; the Karanpur election was postponed following the sudden death of Congress candidate Gurmeet Singh Kooner. Polling, which commenced at 7 am, continued till late in the evening. All those who arrived at the polling booths till 6 pm were permitted to cast their ballot. This time’s voter turnout was higher than in the 2018 Assembly elections, where Rajasthan recorded a 74.06% turnout. More than 5.25 crore registered voters showed up across 199 constituencies to pick among 1862 candidates. This included several first-time voters. The highest voter turnout of 87.79 % was registered in Pokhran in Jaisalmer district. The next highest was Tijara in the Alwar district at 85.15% followed by 83.5% in Bari in the Dholpur district. Coming to the district-wise breakdown, Jaisalmer had the highest turnout at 82.37%, Hanumangarh second at 80.31%, followed by Baran at 79.96%. There were some reports of scuffles near polling booths. A municipal councillor’s representative claimed he was assaulted at a polling booth in Sardarshahar. Meanwhile, at Sanwler village in Deeg district, two persons, including a policeman, were injured in a stone-throwing incident. The crowd was scattered by 12 rounds fired by police and six people were detained. Rival party supporters engaged in a clash outside a polling booth in Fatehpur of Sikar district. Seven people were detained in connection with this incident, in which one policeman was injured, Superintendent of Police Paris Deshmukh said. Two vehicles were damaged and polling was halted for a while after a polling agent and an unidentified individual got into a scuffle in Bari constituency. Further, the polling agent of a BJP candidate in Pali and a senior voter in Udaipur died of cardiac arrest on polling day. Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot and his family voted at a polling booth in his constituency Sardarpura, located in Jodhpur district. Mr Gehlot expressed confidence that Congress would form the government again since “the people are voting on our governance, schemes and guarantees.” Former deputy CM Sachin Pilot, who is the Congress candidate from Tonk, also said that Congress would be in power again with a majority. Meanwhile, C.P Joshi, State president of the BJP, cast his vote in Chittorgarh and said that Congress would receive a “befitting reply.” The Hindu’s Profiles Mahua Moitra | Outspoken parliamentarian Geert Wilders | Out of the wilderness The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz How many Israeli hostages were released from Gaza on the first day of truce deal? 13 15 12 39 To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 26 November 2023 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( Record 75% turnout in Rajasthan polling The Assembly election in Rajasthan on Saturday recorded a 75% voter turnout, with the Congress and the BJP locked in a close battle. Save for some minor instances of violence between party supporters, the polling exercise was conducted peacefully. Voting was held across 51,100 stations in 199 of the 200 Assembly constituencies; the Karanpur election was postponed following the sudden death of Congress candidate Gurmeet Singh Kooner. Polling, which commenced at 7 am, continued till late in the evening. All those who arrived at the polling booths till 6 pm were permitted to cast their ballot. This time’s voter turnout was higher than in the 2018 Assembly elections, where Rajasthan recorded a 74.06% turnout. More than 5.25 crore registered voters showed up across 199 constituencies to pick among 1862 candidates. This included several first-time voters. The highest voter turnout of 87.79 % was registered in Pokhran in Jaisalmer district. The next highest was Tijara in the Alwar district at 85.15% followed by 83.5% in Bari in the Dholpur district. Coming to the district-wise breakdown, Jaisalmer had the highest turnout at 82.37%, Hanumangarh second at 80.31%, followed by Baran at 79.96%. There were some reports of scuffles near polling booths. A municipal councillor’s representative claimed he was assaulted at a polling booth in Sardarshahar. Meanwhile, at Sanwler village in Deeg district, two persons, including a policeman, were injured in a stone-throwing incident. The crowd was scattered by 12 rounds fired by police and six people were detained. Rival party supporters engaged in a clash outside a polling booth in Fatehpur of Sikar district. Seven people were detained in connection with this incident, in which one policeman was injured, Superintendent of Police Paris Deshmukh said. Two vehicles were damaged and polling was halted for a while after a polling agent and an unidentified individual got into a scuffle in Bari constituency. Further, the polling agent of a BJP candidate in Pali and a senior voter in Udaipur died of cardiac arrest on polling day. Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot and his family voted at a polling booth in his constituency Sardarpura, located in Jodhpur district. Mr Gehlot expressed confidence that Congress would form the government again since “the people are voting on our governance, schemes and guarantees.” Former deputy CM Sachin Pilot, who is the Congress candidate from Tonk, also said that Congress would be in power again with a majority. Meanwhile, C.P Joshi, State president of the BJP, cast his vote in Chittorgarh and said that Congress would receive a “befitting reply.” The Hindu’s Profiles [Arrow][Mahua Moitra | Outspoken parliamentarian]( [Arrow][Geert Wilders | Out of the wilderness]( The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz How many Israeli hostages were released from Gaza on the first day of truce deal? - 13 - 15 - 12 - 39 To know the answer and to play the full quiz, [click here.]( [Sign up for free]( Today’s Best Reads [[Where does India stand on the Israel-Hamas war? | Explained] Where does India stand on the Israel-Hamas war? | Explained]( [[Delhi High Court to examine if street art is covered under copyright rules] Delhi High Court to examine if street art is covered under copyright rules]( [[Is India lagging in measles vaccination? | Explained] Is India lagging in measles vaccination? | Explained]( [[Content creators use humour, wit, and sarcasm to attract voters in Telangana] Content creators use humour, wit, and sarcasm to attract voters in Telangana]( Copyright @ 2023, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. 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