The first phase of Rajasthan’s panchayat elections began at 7 AM on Saturday across 3,314 Gram Panchayats. Polling for Sarpanch and Ward Panch posts will continue until 6 PM, with counting scheduled to begin immediately afterwards.
Around 25,000 candidates are contesting for Sarpanch posts.
Authorities have replaced electronic voting machines with ballot papers for this election.
Each voter will cast two votes, one for Sarpanch and another for Ward Panch. Officials expect to announce the results by Saturday night.
In Jaipur district, 1,525 candidates are contesting for Sarpanch posts across 212 Gram Panchayats. No candidate won unopposed in these panchayats.
Chomu Panchayat Samiti recorded the highest number of candidates, with 301 contestants across 34 Gram Panchayats.
In Kota district, polling is underway for 162 Sarpanch posts and 1,441 Ward Panch positions under tight security.
Elections were initially scheduled in 163 Gram Panchayats, but candidates in Girdharpura secured unopposed victories, reducing the number of contests to 162.
Ajmer district is conducting polls across 122 Gram Panchayats in six Panchayat Samitis.
A total of 405,041 voters will decide the fate of 804 candidates. Srinagar Panchayat Samiti has the highest electorate, with 101,076 voters.
In Sampla Gram Panchayat, Arjun Singh Rathore won the Sarpanch post unopposed. All Ward Panch candidates there and in Shergarh Gram Panchayat secured unopposed victories.
The first phase will conclude on Sunday, when elected Ward Panchs vote to select their respective Deputy Sarpanchs. Voter turnout, counting and result announcements remain the key developments to watch.
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