BJP's Jyoti Mirdha Lashes Out At Ashok Gehlot
Jaipur: Over 50.95 per cent voter turnout was recorded up to 7 pm on Friday in 12 parliamentary constituencies of Rajasthan in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections, officials said. According to the Election Commission, polling began at 7 am amid tight security and 50.95 per cent voting took place till 7 pm.
As many as 114 candidates are in the fray in the first phase of polling in the state. The highest voter turnout of 65.07 per cent was recorded in the Ganganagar Lok Sabha seat while Karauli-Dholpur saw the lowest turnout of 49.29 per cent, it said. Jaipur had recorded a poll percentage of 61.88 per cent.
The voting percentage was 53.79 per cent in Bikaner, 62.98 per cent in Churu, 50.25 per cent in Jhunjhunu, 57.28 per cent in Sikar, 56.58 per cent in Jaipur Rural, 56.63 per cent in Alwar, 50.44 per cent in Dausa, 52.69 per cent in Bharatpur and 56.89 per cent in Nagaur till 7 pm.
There are 25 Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan and the remaining 13 will go to poll in the second phase on April 26. In all, 114 candidates were in the fray in 12 seats. In 2019, the BJP-led NDA won all 25 seats in the state.
Arjun Meghwal to ETV Bharat
Here are all the updates for the day:
- 6.28 PM
The voter turnout in Rajasthan till 5 PM was recorded at 52.38 per cent. 53.31 per cent of voting was recorded in the Alwar constituency while 56.57 per cent of votes were polled in the Jaipur seat. In Jaipur Rural, 48.67 per cent of votes were polled till 5 PM, while the voter turnout in Ganganagar was recorded at 60.20 per cent. - 5.15 PM - Recap of All 12 Constituencies in Rajasthan So Far
-A clash erupted between RLP and BJP workers in Nagaur, leaving the Kuchera Municipality President injured.
-41.51% per cent of people in Rajasthan voted in their respective constituencies till 3 pm.
-A dispute between two parties regarding fake voting took place in Rampura Renu village of Churu Assembly.
-EVM was changed at two places and the VVPAT machine at one place in Alwar after complaints of malfunctioning.
-The BJP candidate from Bikaner Arjun Meghwal's car met with an accident.
-Technical glitches in EVM machines were reported in Jaipur Lok Sabha constituencies. - 4.30 PM - Clash between RLP-BJP Workers in Nagaur
A clash erupted between RLP and BJP workers in Nagaur during the first phase of voting in Rajasthan. Supporters of BJP candidate Jyoti Mirdha and RLP candidate Hanuman Beniwal clashed with each other over some issues, yet not known. Kuchera Municipality President Tejpal Mirdha, who came to intervene in the fight, got injured. The police reached the spot and pacified the matter by convincing both groups. District Superintendent of Police Narayan Singh Togas said that there was a fight between the two parties over some issue in the market, in which the Kuchera Municipality Chairman suffered some minor injuries. - 3.40 PM- Clash in Churu Assembly
A dispute between two parties regarding fake voting took place in Rampura Renu village of Churu Assembly. During this scuffle, the Congress booth agent got injured and his head was broken. On receiving information about the clash, security forces reached the spot. The situation there remained tense for some time. Voting was resumed after everything calmed down and police officials took charge. - 3.30 PM - 41.51% Voter Turnout Till 3 PM
According to the Election Commission of India, 41.51% per cent of people in Rajasthan have voted in their respective constituencies till 3 pm in the first phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha election. While Jaipur recorded the highest voter turnout (49.48%), Karauli-dholpur recorded the lowest voter turnout(33.86%). - 2.30 PM - Rajasthan CM Bhajan Lal Sharma Hopes for a Hattrick
"Today elections are going on at 12 Lok Sabha seats, the kind of enthusiasm and excitement the people of Rajasthan are showing, they want PM Narendra Modi to be the PM for a third term. Rajasthan will make a hattrick (all 25 seats to the BJP )," Sharma said. - 2.00 PM - EVM Changed at Two Places, VVPAT at One Place
EVM has been changed at two places and the VVPAT machine at one place in Alwar on Friday. District Collector Ashish Gupta said that peaceful voting is going on at 2736 polling stations in the entire district. Initially, EVM machines were reported as not working at two places, after which the EVM machines were changed. Apart from this, a complaint was received about the VVPAT machine not working in one place. - 1.30 PM - Voter Turnout Till 1 PM
The voter turnout in Rajasthan till 1 PM for the first phase of the polls stands at 33.73 per cent on Friday in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls 2024, according to the Election Commission of India. - 1.00 PM - Sachin Pilot Cast His Vote
Congress leader Sachin Pilot exercised his voting at the 'Zero Waste' polling booth in Jaipur. - 12.45 PM - Arjun Meghwal's Car Accident
The BJP candidate from Bikaner Arjun Meghwal's car met with an accident on Friday. While going to inspect other booths, Meghwal's car was hit from behind by a camper driver. However, the Union Minister is completely safe in the accident, his car has been damaged from the rear. - 12.40 PM - Arjun Meghwal to ETV Bharat
In an exclusive interview with Arjun Meghwal, the BJP candidate asserted that he waited in the queue for about two and a half hours and then exercised his voting rights. Meghwal said that these are my values. The one who came first has the right to vote first, thus I waited in the queue. Meghwal came down heavily on his rival Congress candidate Govind Meghwal. - 12.20 PM - Cong Leader Sachin Pilot Sure of Forming Govt
"There is an atmosphere of change in the entire country and state and based on what I am seeing, I think that the performance of Congress will be much better than before and the INDIA alliance will get a majority on June 4...It makes no sense to give a guarantee to cross 200,300,500 seats, all I can say is that in Rajasthan, we will get more seats than the BJP and INDIA alliance will cross the majority mark of 272 seats in the country. The voters of our country are very intelligent and the strike rate of Congress will be better in the places where BJP is directly contesting against us...," Congress leader Sachin Pilot said. - 11.50 AM - Rajasthan Guv Kalraj Mishra Cast His Vote
Rajasthan Governor voted with his wife in Jaipur in the first phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Mishra and the state's first lady Satyawati Mishra cast their vote at Mahatma Gandhi Government Residential School, C Scheme, Sardar Patel Marg. - 11.30 AM - 22.51% Voter Turnout Till 11 AM
22.51% per cent of people in Rajasthan have cast their vote in their respective constituencies till 11 am on Friday in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls 2024, the Election Commission of India informed. - 11.20 AM - HM Amit Shah Urges People in Rajasthan to Vote
"The brave men and women of Rajasthan have, through their innumerable sacrifices, taken the country from the defeat of slavery to the glory of democratic values. Today, in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections, I appeal to the mothers, sisters and brothers of the 12 Lok Sabha constituencies of the state to vote in large numbers to elect a government that makes the country strong, secure, proud of its heritage and places nation building above all else. Vote first, rot later!" Home Minister Amit Shah said. - 11.00 AM - Quick Recap
-10.67 per cent of people in Rajasthan cast their vote in their respective constituencies till 9 am, according to the ECI.
-Technical glitches in EVM machines were reported in Jaipur Lok Sabha constituencies.
-Prominent figures like Deputy CM Diya Kumari, RLP Chief Hanuman Beniwal, and BJP leader Rajendra Rathore have cast their vote.
A huge crowd of voters was witnessed in Jaipur early Friday morning for voting in Phase 1 for the 2024 LS Polls.
-PM Modi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and several leaders have urged all to vote in large numbers. - 10.50 AM - BJP's Jyoti Mirdha Lashes Out At Ashok Gehlot
BJP candidate Jyoti Mirdha, who is fighting against RLP leader Hanuman Beniwal in Nagaur, came down heavily on senior Congress leader and former CM of Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot, in an interaction with ETV Bharat. She asserted that the biggest reason for her leaving the Congress party was Ashok Gehlot. Not only her, but several leaders have left the party because of Gehlot. - 10.40 AM - 'No Voting Until the Thief Gets Caught'
The officials informed that the people of Kheria village of Rupwas area and Iklera village of Deeg had boycotted voting in the morning. The people of the two villages demanded that voting would not be held until the theft worth lakhs in the village was revealed and the thief was caught. On information, DSP Giriraj Singh reached village Iklera and assured that the theft would be exposed soon. After the assurance, the villagers started voting at 7.50 in the morning. - 10.15 AM - Technical Glitches in EVM Machines
Technical glitches in EVM machines at many places in Jaipur Lok Sabha constituencies have been reported. Complaints were received at about 34 polling stations in Jaipur Rural. The district election team has immediately replaced the machines, the officials said. In Jaipur Rural, 8 ballot units, 9 control units and 17 VVPAT machines malfunctioned. There were malfunction reports in 12 ballot units, 8 control units and 21 VVPAT machines in Jaipur city. - 10.00 AM - Rajasthan Deputy CM Diya Kumari Cast Her Vote
Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari cast her vote in Jaipur. After voting, Kumari said, "Every person has faith in Modi ji, has faith in his work, has faith in what he says and has seen him serve the people of the country for 10 years..." - 9.45 AM - RLP Chief Hanuman Beniwal Cast His Vote
Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) chief Hanuman Beniwal cast his vote on Friday. He visited the Lord Bholenath temple before voting and performed Jalabhishek along with his family. Beniwal is contesting from Nagaur Lok Sabha as an India Bloc candidate against BJP’s Jyoti Mirdha. - 9.30 AM - 10.67% Voter Turnout Till 9 AM
According to the Election Commission of India, 10.67 per cent of people in Rajasthan have voted in their respective constituencies. A rush of voters has been witnessed in several polling booths in Rajasthan since morning. - 9.00 AM - EVM Breakdown in Bharatpur
According to the reports, the EVM machine broke down at the polling booth located in Bharatpur Municipal Corporation. There was a ruckus all around, while many people returned without voting. After an hour, a new machine was ordered and voting was resumed. - 8.45 AM - BJP leader Rajendra Rathore Cast His Vote
"This election is establishing the democratic values of the country. You can see how aware our voters are. They all are hoping that the country becomes 'Vishwa guru'," says BJP leader Rajendra Rathore after casting his vote in Churu, Rajasthan. - 8.35 AM- Rajasthan Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore Cast His Vote
"The message is that it is voters build a nation and this election is not a small election. It is an election of the largest democracy in the world. It is the country that is the fifth largest economy in the world and will soon become the third largest economy. It is a decisive election, that is going to make us a developed country with 'Modi Guarantee'...," he said. - 8.20 AM - CM Bhajanlal Sharma Cast His Vote
Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma cast his vote in Jaipur on Friday. He showed his inked finger after casting his vote in the first phase of the Lok Sabha Election. "There is a lot of excitement in Rajasthan and surely the history of 2014 and 2019 will be repeated," he said. - 7.50 AM - Balmukund Acharya Cast His Vote
BJP MLA from Hawa Mahal Assembly Constituency in Jaipur, Rajasthan, Balmukund Acharya, cast his vote on Friday morning. “After 2014, voters come out of their houses to cast votes on their own. Thanks to the Election Commission as well for creating awareness. There is excitement and faith among people towards the government, voting, and ‘Vikaas’,” Acharya said. - 7.45 AM - Arjun Ram Meghwal on 'Viksit Bharat'
Union Minister and BJP candidate from Bikaner Lok Sabha seat, Arjun Ram Meghwal said, "It is the festival of democracy today. Voting will be done today on a total of 102 seats in the country and 12 seats in Rajasthan including the Bikaner Lok Sabha seat. Today, a strong foundation of 'Viksit Bharat' will be laid..." - 7.30 AM - Huge Crowd of Voters in Jaipur
As soon as the voting for the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections began, a crowd of voters gathered at the Shyam Nagar polling centre in Jaipur. People were seen standing in queues to cast their votes. - 7.00 AM - Voting Begins
Voting for all the 12 seats in Rajasthan begins. - 6.54 AM - PM Modi Urges All to Vote
PM Modi on Friday took to X(formerly Twitter) and urged all voters to vote in their respective constituencies. "The biggest celebration of democracy is starting from today! In the first phase of Lok Sabha elections, votes will be cast for 102 seats in 21 states and union territories. I urge the voters of all these seats to exercise their franchise and create a new voting record. I have a special appeal to my young friends who are going to vote for the first time to vote in large numbers. In democracy, every vote is precious and every voice is important," the PM said.
Key constituencies and candidates
One of the key constituencies, Nagaur is set to witness a keen contest between the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) candidate and former MP Hanuman Beniwal in alliance with Congress against BJP candidate and former Congress MP Jyoti Mirdha. Beniwal with the BJP's support in the 2019 elections defeated Mirdha, who was then a Congress candidate. However, Beniwal separated from the NDA in 2020 over the farmer's agitation issue.
In the Churu Lok Sabha constituency, former BJP MP Rahul Kaswan is contesting as Congress candidate against BJP candidate and paralympic Devendra Jhajharia. Dalit leader and Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, who has been representing Bikaner Lok Sabha seat since 2009, is contesting the Lok Sabha elections for 4th time. He is contesting against Congress candidate and former state minister Govind Ram Meghwal.
In Sikar, the Congress' Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc partner, the CPI(M) has fielded former MLA Amra Ram against the BJP's incumbent MP Sumedanand Saraswati. Amra Ram had been an MLA from the Danta Ramgarh and the Dhod seats. Sikar is the hometown of the Congress' Rajasthan unit chief Govind Singh Dotasra. Of the eight assembly segments in Sikar, five are with the Congress.
