Rajasthan bypolls: More than 14% polling in Dhariawad, over 11% in Vallabhnagar till 9 am

Over 14 per cent polling was registered in the bypoll to Dhariawad (Pratapgarh) assembly constituency while the figure for Vallabhnagar (Udaipur) seat was more than 11 per cent till 9 am, officials said on Saturday.

Voting for bypolls to the assembly constituencies of Vallabhnagar and Dhariawad to decide the fate of 16 candidates began amid tight security arrangements at 7 am.

According to officials, Dhariawad registered 14.26 per cent voter turnout while the voting percentage was 11.20 in Vallabhnagar till 9 am, according to official data.

The bypolls were necessitated due to the demise of Congress MLA from Vallabhnagar Gajendra Singh Shaktawat and BJP legislator from Dhariawad Gautam Lal Meena.

A total of 5,11,455 voters -- 2,53,831 in Vallabhnagar and 2,57,624 in Dhariawad -- will be able to exercise their franchise.

Nine candidates are in the fray for the Vallabhnagar seat and seven for Dhariawad, Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta said.

A total of 638 polling booths have been set up in both the constituencies, and 119 of them are sensitive. Webcasting will be done in 64 sensitive booths and videography in 29.

Gupta said 4,468 security personnel have been deployed in both constituencies to ensure free, fair, and peaceful voting. The voting is being conducted according to Covid-19 guidelines, he added.

In Vallabhnagar, the ruling Congress party has given its ticket to Gajendra Shaktawat's wife, Preeti Shaktawat, while the BJP has fielded Himmat Singh Jhala.

The Congress has fielded Nagraj Meena in Dhariawad against BJP candidate Khet Singh Meena.

In the house of 200, the ruling Congress has 106 MLAs, while the BJP has 71, the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party has 3, the CPI(M) and Bharatiya Tribal Party have two each, the Rashtriya Lok Dal has one, and 13 are independent legislators.

Two seats are vacant on which the bypolls are being conducted.

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