Rajasthan bypolls: Mandawa and Khivsar record 55 pc and 49 pc turnout till 3 pm

Mandawa and Khivsar Assembly constituencies in Rajasthan had recorded 55.66 and 49.95 per cent voter turnout respectively till 3 pm in the bypolls held on Monday.

The polling in both the constituencies began at 7 am amid tight security and will continue till 6 pm, officials said.

The voting percentage in Mandawa and Khinvsar till 3 pm was 55.66 and 49.95 per cent respectively.

The ruling Congress has fielded former MLAs Rita Chaudhary and Harendra Mirdha on the Mandawa (Jhunjhunu) and Khivsar (Nagaur) seats respectively.

BJP's Sushila Sigra is contesting the bypoll on Mandawa and BJP-RLP alliance candidate Narayan Beniwal is contesting from the Khivsar constituency.

The bypolls on both the seats were necessitated after Khivsar (Nagaur)MLA Hanuman Beniwal and Mandawa (Jhunjhunu) MLA Narendra Kumar were elected to Lok Sabha in May this year.

As many as 12 candidates, nine in Mandawa and three in Khivsar, are in the fray.

As many as 259 polling booths have been set up in Mandawa where 2,27,414 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise whereas in Khivsar, 2,50,155 people will cast their votes in 266 booths.

Sixty polling stations in Mandawa and 121 in Khivsar have been identified as 'sensitive'.

Eight companies of central security forces have been deployed in each of the poll-bound constituencies, according to chief electoral officer Anand Kumar.

The counting of votes will take place on October 24.