'Filing of nominations for Raj Assembly polls to start on Nov 12'

Filing of nominations for the Rajasthan Assembly elections would start on November 12 and end on November 19, state Chief Election Commissioner Anand Kumar said Saturday, hours after the Election Commission of India announced the state will go to the polls on December 7.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) OP Rawat announced Saturday the dates for Assembly polls in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram.

While addressing a press conference after the announcement, the Rajasthan chief election commissioner said the Model Code of Conduct in the state has come into force with immediate effect.

Counting of votes will be held on December 11, Kumar said.

A total of 4,74,79,402 would exercise their franchise through VVPAT machines across Rajasthan, he said.

The chief electoral officer said, "Of the 200 seats, 34 were reserved for SC and 25 for ST categories."