13 of 25 seats in Rajasthan set for polls today

In the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on Monday, the fate of 153 candidates from 13 of 25 seats in Rajasthan will be decided. The candidates include sons of present and former chief ministers, former royals, sitting MPs, union ministers and fresh faces.

The prominent candidates in the fray are Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s son Vaibhav Gehlot, former CM Vasundhara Raje’s son Dushyant Singh from Jhalawar, erstwhile royal Diya Kumari from Rajsamand, Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat from Jodhpur and former external affairs minister Jaswant Singh’s son Manvendra Singh from Barmer.

The polling will take place amid tight security arrangements from 7 am to 6 pm on Monday in 13 constituencies in the state — Tonk-Sawaimadhopur, Ajmer, Pali, Jodhpur, Barmer, Jalore, Udaipur, Banswara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Bhilwara, Kota and Jhalawar-Baran, according to chief electoral officer Anand Kumar. About 2.57 crore people are eligible to vote at 28,182 polling stations.

Jodhpur is one of the hot seats where Vaibhav Gehlot is pitted against sitting MP and Union minister of state Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.

In Barmer, Manvendra is contesting on a Congress ticket against BJP’s Kailash Chaudhary. He is banking on the support of Rajputs, associated castes and minority.

Former BJP MLA and former Jaipur royalty Diya Kumari is making her debut in the Lok Sabha elections as a BJP candidate from Rajsamand while Union minister of state P P Chaudhary is in the fray from Pali.