Campaigning ends for Rajasthan assembly elections, voting on Friday

The electioneering for the Rajasthan assembly elections initially focused on farmers' issues, corruption and the youth

A high-decibel campaign that witnessed hundreds of election rallies and road shows across Rajasthan ended Wednesday evening, ahead of the December 7 assembly polls.

As many as 2,274 candidates including 189 women are in the fray for 199 out of a total 200 constituencies in the state.

Election in Alwar district's Ramgarh constituency has been postponed due to the death of the Bahujan Samaj Party candidate.

Electioneering ended at 5 pm on Wednesday. Polling will take place from 8 am to 5 pm on December 7 in 199 constituencies, Rajasthan's chief electoral officer Anand Kumar said.

He said elaborate security arrangements have been made for free and fair polls.

There are 47.7 million registered voters in Rajasthan.

In the BJP ruled state, the electioneering initially focused on farmers' issues, corruption and the youth.

The campaign also raised issues related to Hindutva, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi sparred over 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' slogans, and there was a row over the caste of Lord Hanuman.

Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and several other Union ministers campaigned in the state, which the Bharatiya Janata Party is fighting to retain.

Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje also crisscrossed the state, travelling by road and by air and addressing at least five meetings a day.

The Congress fielded Rahul Gandhi, party's state unit chief Sachin Pilot and former chief minister Ashok Gehlot in the campaign for the closely contested elections.

Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati also campaigned in the state. The contest is mainly between the BJP and the Congress candidates in about 130 seats.

About 50 other seats will see contests in which rebel candidates from both major parties are in the fray, refusing to step down in favour of the official nominees.

Counting will take place on December 11.