Rajasthan and Telangana are voting today in the last of state elections before the December 11 results, seen as a big test for political parties as they gear up for next year's national polls.
Over 56 per cent of 2.80 crore voters of Telangana exercised their franchise till 3 pm on Friday.
"Polling commenced at 7 am, though at some polling centres there was a delay of 10 to 15 minutes. In one or two cases EVMs needed to be replaced. We have replaced 22 ballot units, 19 control units and 42 VVPATS," Chief Electoral Officer Rajat Kumar said.
Rajasthan recorded 59.43 per cent voters turnout till 3 pm.
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Rajasthan polls
As many as 51,687 polling booths have been set up in 199 out of the total 200 assembly constituencies where polling is going on amid tight security.
The election in Ramgarh constituency of Alwar district was put off following the death of Bahujan Samaj Party candidate Laxman Singh.
A senior police officer said polling was taking place peacefully and elaborate security arrangements are in place.
Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, Pradesh Congress Committee chief Sachin Pilot and other leaders were among those who exercised their franchise.
Raje (Jhalrapatan), Pilot (Tonk), former chief minister Ashok Gehlot (Sardarpura) are among the 2,274 candidates in the fray.
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Raje, who is the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) chief ministerial candidate, is fighting against veteran BJP leader Jaswant Singh's son Manvendra Singh in Jhalrapatan, the constituency she has represented since 2003.
Manvendra Singh switched to the Congress just before the election, making the fight tougher for Raje this time. She had won 63 per cent of the votes cast in 2013, winning the seat by a margin of 60,896.
Tonk, with a sizeable Muslim population, is a keenly-watched contest between Sachin Pilot and BJP candidate and Rajasthan Transport Minister Yoonus Khan, who is the saffron party's only Muslim face in the elections.
The BJP had initially fielded sitting MLA Ajit Singh Mehta in Tonk. But in a change of strategy, the party dropped him and sent Khan to take on Pilot.
This is a maiden assembly election for Pilot, a two-time MP who is seen as a chief ministerial possibility if the Congress wins. He has represented Dausa and Ajmer Lok Sabha constituencies in the past.
In about 130 constituencies, the contest appears to be mainly between the BJP and the Congress.
In the current House, the BJP has 160 seats and the Congress 25
Telangana polls
Legislative Assembly elections are being held in the 119 assembly constituencies for the first time in Telangana after its formation as the 2014 Assembly polls were held in undivided Andhra Pradesh.
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Chief Electoral Officer Rajath Kumar had said those in queues at polling stations before 5 pm will be allowed to vote.
Telangana leaders Kadiyam Srihari, Harihs Rao, Pocharama Srinivas Reddy, Jupally Krishna Rao and Jagadish Reddy were among those who cast their vote.
Former Union Minister Chiranjeevi and cine actors Nagarjuna cast their vote in Jubilee Hills in the city.
After casting his vote, Harish Rao said he expected the overall poll percentage to go up given the indication.
The Congress has stitched together Praja Kutami (Peoples Front) along with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the Telangana Jana Samiti (TJS) and the Communist Party of India (CPI) to take on the ruling TRS, led by caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR).
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The TRS, seeking a second term in office, is going alone, as also the BJP
The results will be out on December 11, along with those from the other four states which saw Assembly elections in the past few weeks.
PTI
