Rajasthan records 74 per cent turnout

Rajasthan recorded a turnout of 74 per cent in polling Friday, sealing the fate of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje whose Bharatiya Janata Party is hoping to return to power after a tough challenge from the Congress.

The Election Commission said 73.85 per cent of voters exercised their franchise, a tally just short of the 75.23 per cent registered in the previous assemble elections.

The police reported a few clashes among supporters but said polling across the 51,687 booths was largely peaceful.

Special DG (law and order) N R K Reddy said ITBP jawans opened fire in the air to disperse a mob trying to enter a booth at a village in Alwar's Mundawar constituency.

There were clashes and arson outside the booths in Bikaner and Sikar but polling remained unaffected, he added.

At places in the border districts of Barmer and Jaisalmer, people walked miles through the desert to cast their votes.

In Bundi district's Hindoli area, 102-year-old Kisni Bai was among the voters. Also in Bundi, Dhapu Bai, said to be over 100 years old, was brought to the polling station on a cot by her family members.

First-timers recorded the significant milestone in their lives with selfies, displaying an inked finger, to be posted on social media.

"Have chosen my future, you too show up," one man posted.

Jaisalmer's Pokaran recorded the highest turnout of 87.03 per cent. The lowest, 59.97 per cent, was in Pali's Sumerpur, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a public rally on the last day of electioneering.

The BJP is trying to retain power in the state it won in 2013, displacing Ashok Gehlot's Congress government.

If Congress returns, as exit polls predicted Friday evening, Gehlot is tipped as a possible candidate for the post along with the state party chief Sachin Pilot.

Vasundhara Raje contested from her Jhalrapatan constituency, Pilot from Tonk and Gehlot from Sardarpura.

Results will be declared on December 11, along with those from four other states that went to the polls during the past weeks.

There are 2,274 candidates in the fray for 199 constituencies out of the total 200 in Rajasthan.

Polling in Alwar district's Ramgarh constituency will take place later due to the death of Bahujan Samaj Party candidate Laxman Singh.

Raje, the BJP's chief ministerial candidate, contested against veteran BJP leader Jaswant Singh's son Manvendra Singh in a constituency she has represented since 2003.

Manvendra Singh had switched to the Congress just before the election.

In Tonk, Pilot contested against Rajasthan Transport Minister Yoonus Khan, the BJP's only Muslim face in the elections.

In the current House, the BJP has 160 seats and the Congress 25.

Polling began at 8 am, picking pace over the first few hours.

The final turnout figure will be released by Saturday morning, Rajasthan's chief electoral officer Anand Kumar said.