13% voter turnout till 10 am in 2nd phase of Rajasthan panchayat polls

Jaipur: A voter turnout of around 13 per cent was registered till 10 am on Sunday in the second phase of elections to zilla parishad and panchayat samiti in six districts of Rajasthan to decide the fate of 1,680 candidates.

Polling began peacefully at 7.30 am in the districts of Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bharatpur, Sawai Madhopur, Dausa and Sirohi, officials said.

State Election Commissioner P S Mehra said 1,680 candidates will try their luck in the electoral fray for 28 Panchayat Samitis in this phase. Ten candidates have already been elected unopposed.

In the first phase, more than 62 per cent of voters cast their votes, he said.

In the second leg of the election, polling is underway to elect 536 members of 28 Panchayat Samitis and their respective Zila Parishad members.

A total of 1,680 candidates have submitted their nominations for these posts.

Mehra said that in the second phase, about 10,500 Electronic Voting Machines are being used. A total of 25,60,153 voters will be able to exercise their franchise at 3,459 polling stations.

Voting for the third phase of zilla parishad and panchayat samiti members will be conducted on September 1, while counting of votes will be done on September 4 at all district headquarters.