ECI changes Rajasthan state Assembly elections date to Nov 25 from Nov 23

The Election Commission of India changed the elections dates for Rajasthan by two days due to a 'large scale of weddings'

The Rajasthan Assembly elections will be held on November 25 (Saturday) instead of November 23 (Thursday), according to the Election Commission of India (ECI)'s revised schedule announced on Wednesday. The results will be out on December 3.

According to the statement released by the ECI, the change was made after political parties stated that the allocated date, November 23, clashed with "large-scale weddings" which would make it inconvenient for voters.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Rajasthan's Pali, PP Chaudhary had also written to the ECI today requesting a date change, citing festivities as the reason.

"On one hand it is the responsibility of the Election Commission and all of us to increase the voting percentage. The common people should strengthen the Indian democratic system by taking part in the sacred festival of democracy," Chaudhary said in a letter to the ECI.

"At the same time, organizing voting in Rajasthan on the day of a big festival will directly affect the Election Commission's resolutions on voting awareness," he added.

The BJP MP added that the date coincided with an auspicious day for the Hindus, "Dev Uthani Ekadashi", which made it highly likely for many weddings to occur.

The ECI appeared to have agreed to this, as their statement added that the same concern had been raised by "various political parties, social organisations and also raised in various media platforms".

No other changes have been made to the election schedule.

The Rajasthan Assembly has 200 constituencies up for grabs. The state has traditionally been dominated by the Congress and the BJP since its formation. Congress won the last elections in 2018, securing 101 seats.

(With agency inputs)