After polling for the 13th Rajasthan Assembly began on a high note on Thursday amidst unprecedented security, Election Commission officials estimated a voter turnout of around 68 per cent, not far from the 2003 figure of 67.02 per cent. Though the polling process was completed peacefully, the EC authorities stated that there could be repolling in some centres after incidents of firing, booth capturing and false voting were reported from Dausa, Sawai Madhopur, Karauli, Tonk and Kota.Rajasthan Chief Electorate Officer (CEO) Vinod Zutshi said, “The information is still coming in, but we estimate a voter turnout between 65 and 68 per cent.” He added that barring a few minor incidents, the election process was completed in a peaceful manner. State election officials said Hanumangadh district in North Rajasthan recorded the highest voter turnout of 78 per cent while the predominantly tribal Dungarpur district saw the lowest turnout of 48 per cent. Jaipur witnessed a voter turnout of 63 per cent.According to Zutshi, the polling process in a few districts was disrupted due to clashes between rival parties, false voting and booth capturing while in the Badi security personnel managed to stop a polling agent from fleeing with the EVM. “Booth capturing and false voting have been reported from eight polling booths in Dausa, four in Karauli and two each in Bharatpur and Sawai Madhopur. We will contemplate repolling after a meeting with Election Commission of India officials on Friday,” Zutshi said. He added that barring a few incidents, there were no major problems with the EVM.Interestingly, Governor S K Singh, who arrived at the polling station in Civil Lines at 8 pm to be the first to vote in the state, was made to wait 30 minutes due to problems with the EVM. “As the first citizen, I wanted to vote first, but the EVM malfunctioned. Officials at the booth should have checked the EVM the previous night,” said an angry Singh. According to State Election Commission officials, the presiding officer in the polling station pressed the close EVM button instead of switching it on, after which a new EVM had to be brought in.Zutshi said the six mobile polling stations created to increase voter turnout in districts like Barmer and Jaisalmer were a huge success. “The mobile stations recorded polling between 69 and 88 per cent . In Hafua, the station recorded a turnout of 88 per cent.”Rajasthan Police sources stated that an FIR was lodged against expelled BJP leader K L Meena at Manta in Sawai Madhopur district for raising a ruckus at a polling station while security personnel in Ladpura in Kota had to fire in the air to break up a fight between polling agents from rival parties. The police also had to escort several voters to the polling booth after they complained that miscreants drove them away. Skirmishes were also reported in Karauli, Toda-Bhim, Tonk, Dhaulpur, Bharatpur, Kota and Jaipur, but nowhere was the process disrupted long enough to completely dissuade voters.
