Over 2.80 crore electorate will cast their votes in Rajasthan’s 13 LS constituencies on Friday where 152 contestants including Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, two Union Ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Kailash Choudhary, four sitting MPs and seven women are in the poll fray.
Voting will commence at 28,758 polling booths from 7 am to 6 pm in 13 LS seats of Ajmer, Tonk-Sawaimadhopur, Pali, Jodhpur, Barmer, Jalore, Banswara, Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Bhilwara, Kota and Jhalawar-Baran.
Four sitting MPs PP Choudhary, Bhagirath Choudhary, Dushyant Singh, SS Jaunapuria, and State BJP President C P Joshi, and Congress’ former assembly Speaker Dr C P Joshi, sitting MLA Harish Meena, and Vaibhav Gehlot, son of former Congress Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot from Jalore seat are also vying in the poll battle.
Out of 152 contestants, the BJP and Congress have fielded 13 each on all seats, BSP on 12, 73 Independents and 41 of other smaller parties.
Over 80,000 police personnel including home guards, RAC jawans have been deployed besides 175 companies of Central Police Force have taken positions for free and fair polls, and maintain law and order in the state, Chief Election Officer Praveen Gupta said.
Check Posts have been created on Rajasthan’s bordering states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Punjab to contain intrusion of illegal movement of public or miscreants, Gupta said.