Rajasthan polls: Nearly 42 per cent turnout till 1 pm

Nearly 41.53 per cent of the electorates cast their votes till noon in the single-phased Rajasthan assembly elections on Friday, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI).

A total of 2,270 candidates, including 187 women, are contesting in 199 constituencies of the state, which has more than four crore voters.

Voting began on a slow note in several constituencies but gradually picked up momentum with voters forming serpentine queues outside polling stations to exercise their franchise.

According to the data compiled by the ECI, Anupgarh recorded a voter turnout of 92.76 per cent till noon, while Bikaner West and Nokha registered 81.95 per cent and 84.86 per cent turnout respectively.

However, the voting was low in Viratnagar (7.48 per cent), Jhotwara (7.96 per cent), Dudu (5.14 per cent) and Dhod (1.94 per cent) constituencies, which according to poll officials, could be because of the cold weather.

The election body has set up nearly 52,000 polling booths, including at least one all-women booth in each constituency, for the smooth and peaceful voting.

More than 2,270 candidates including 187 women are in the fray for 199 out of total 200 assembly seats in the state. The ECI postponed polling in Alwar's Ramgarh seat following the death of a BSP candidate on November 29.

The counting of votes will be held on December 11.