Polling underway in Rajasthan civic polls

Polling was being held on Monday to elect 129 civic bodies in Rajasthan, with about 37.12 lakh people eligible to cast their votes.

About 15% of the electorate voted till 10 AM after polling began amid tight security at 7 AM, an official of the Rajasthan State Election Commission said here. Polling at 4,300 booths in 3,306 wards in Rajasthan's 129 municipal bodies is being held from 7 AM to 5 PM, the official said. Voting began on a slow note because of rains in parts of the state, but it picked up later on, the official said.

A total of 10,582 candidates are in the fray. Among the voters, 17.77 lakh are women. About 1,300 booths fall in the category of sensitive and hyper-sensitive in the election which is likely to see a neck and neck contest between ruling BJP and Congress.

Over 43,000 security personnel including state police, homeguards, and Rajasthan Armed Constabulary (RAC) were being deployed to ensure free and fair polls, a senior official said. About 30 companies of RAC were put on standby to meet any exigency and there would be one mobile party at every booth in 129 civic bodies, he said. A magistrate led mobile party would also be patrolling the area to maintain peaceful elections, the cop said.