Approximately 69.12 per cent of over 1.93 million eligible voters cast their ballots in the by-elections across seven assembly constituencies in Rajasthan on Wednesday.
Polling commenced at 07:00 hrs across 1,915 polling stations in Jhunjhunu, Ramgarh, Dausa, Deoli-Uniara, Khinvsar, Salumbar (ST), and Chorasi (ST) constituencies, concluding peacefully at 18:00 hrs, with a few minor disruptions.
While polling was largely peaceful, a few incidents of violence slightly marred the voting process. Police had to use mild force to disperse a mob engaging in stone-throwing outside a polling booth in Beravas village, under the Ramgarh assembly segment, around 17:30 hrs. Congress candidate Aryaan Zuber and his supporters arrived at the scene to pacify the crowd, minimizing disruptions inside the booth.
Another disturbance occurred in Nausar village within the Malpura sub-division of Deoli-Uniara. Congress rebel candidate Naresh Meena, running as an Independent, allegedly assaulted SDM Malpura Amit Chaudhary, who was serving as the area magistrate.
The Rajasthan RAS Officers’ Association has demanded Meena’s arrest, warning of a pen-down and net-down strike tomorrow. Additionally, IAS officers have written to Chief Secretary Sudhansh Pant, condemning the incident and urging appropriate action against Meena.
Chief Electoral Officer Navin Mahajan expressed satisfaction with the overall smooth conduct of the polls, noting the enthusiasm of women and specially-abled voters in participating across all constituencies.
According to official figures, the constituency-wise voter turnout was as follows: Ramgarh (75.27%), Khinvsar (75.66%), Chorasi (ST) (71.75%), Salumbar (ST) (67.68%), Jhunjhunu (66.14%), Deoli-Uniara (65.01%), and Dausa (62.30%). Final figures may be updated by Thursday afternoon, an Election Office spokesperson noted.
The vacancies in Ramgarh and Salumbar (ST) were due to the passing of MLAs Zuber Khan (Congress) and Amrit Lal Meena (BJP), respectively. The remaining seats were vacated after their MLAs, Brijendra Singh Ola (Congress – Jhunjhunu), Murari Lal Meena (Congress – Dausa), Harish Meena (Congress – Deoli Uniara), Hanuman Beniwal (RLP – Khinvsar), and Raj Kumar Roat (BAP – Chorasi), were elected to the Lok Sabha in June.
A total of 69 candidates contested across the seven seats. Key candidates included Amit Ola (Congress), Rajendra Bhamboo (BJP), and Rajendra Singh Gudha (IND) in Jhunjhunu; Aryaan Zuber (Congress) and Sukhwant Singh (BJP) in Ramgarh; Jagmohan Meena (BJP) and Deen Dayal Bairwa (Congress) in Dausa; Kastoor Chand Meena (Congress), Rajendra Gurjar (BJP), and Naresh Meena (IND) in Deoli-Uniara; Kanika Beniwal (RLP), Dr. Ratan Chaudhary (Congress), and Rewant Ram (BJP) in Khinwsar; Reshma Meena (Congress), Shanta Meena (BJP), and Jitesh Katara (BAP) in Salumbar (ST); and Anil Kumar (BAP), Mahesh Roat (Congress), and Kari Lal Ninoma (BJP) in Chorasi (ST).
The counting of votes is scheduled for November 23.