Jaipur: Amid stray clashes, over 55 per
cent voters on Monday exercised their franchise for civic polls in
Rajasthan, the first major face-off between ruling Congress
and main Opposition BJP after the Assembly Election last year.
Over 55 per cent of 56.97 lakh electorate cast votes for
elections to 46 civic bodies which was by and large peaceful,
the state Election Commission and police said.
Some technical snags in Electronic Voting Machines were
also reported but these were rectified immediately.
A scuffle broke out between supporters of Congress MLA
Ruparam Duddi and former BJP minister Yunus Khan over alleged
bogus voting by some persons at Deedwana in Nagaur district,
police said.
Three persons received minor injuries in the clash, they
said.
At Bikaner, supporters of rival candidates also clashed,
but no one was injured nor the polling was affected, SP H G R
Suhasaa said.
He denied firing by any group during the skirmish.
The exercise was held to elect as many as 1612 Municipal
Councillors, Mayors of four municipal corporations and
chairmen of 11 councils and 31 municipalities.
Nineteen Municipal Councillors had been elected unopposed
after the last day of withdrawal of nominations on November
14.
Eleven belonged to the Congress and four to the BJP while
the rest were Independents.
The results will be declared on November 26.
In another poll related clash, one person was injured,
when supporters of two women candidates pelted stones on each
other over alleged bogus voting at ward number seven in Jaipur
city, IGP Range-I BL Soni said.
The injured was admitted to a private hospital, the
IGP said.
Polling was unaffected and ended peacefully, he said,
adding the polling parties returned to submit EVMs at the
desired centre.
He ruled out a rumour that there was any firing by
either police or clashing supporters of women candidates.
PTI
First Published: Monday, November 23, 2009, 19:40