13 Rajasthan LS seats to go to polls on Monday

Jaipur, April 28 (IANS) Over 2.57 crore voters will decide the fate of 115 candidates -- 108 men and seven women -- in Rajasthan's first phase of polling on Monday, according to an election official on Sunday.

Anand Kumar, Chief Electoral Officer, said, voters include 1.32 crore men and 1.24 crore women and they would be casting their votes on Monday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. in 13 Lok Sabha constituencies of Rajasthan. Around 6.5 lakh first time voters will also exercise their franchise.

For Lok Sabha polls, 51,965 voting centres have been set up, Kumar said and added, in the first phase of voting in Rajasthan voters would cast their votes in 28,152 centres.

The 13 seats going to polls on Monday include Jodhpur (19.51 lakh voters), Barmer (19.39 lakh), Jalore (20.899 lakh), Udaipur (20.69 lakh), Banswara (19.75 lakh), Chittaurgarh (20.15 lakh), Rajsamand (19.9 lakh), Bhilwara (19.95 lakh), Tonk-Sawai Moadhopur (19.43 lakh), Ajmer (18.72 lakh), Pali (21.56 lakh), Kota (19.47 lakh) and Jhalawad-Baran (19.3 lakh).

While the maximum number of voters are in Pali, the minimum in Ajmer, Kumar said.

There are over 26,000 service voters in the state and over 1.12 lakh employees have been deputed at different voting centres.

Over 2,222 micro observers have been appointed at sensitive booths in Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Kota and Rajsamand, the official said. Videography would be done at 1,942 polling centres, he added. Around 5,377 vulnerable villages have been identified.

Since the announcement of elections Rs 3.34 crore in cash, drugs and narcotics worth Rs 13.04 crore and Rs 7.38 crore gold-silver have been seized.

The second phase of the vote in the state is on May 6.