Rajasthan Panchayat Elections Phase Two: Voting Underway

Jaipur, October 28: Polling has started in Rajasthan for the second round of panchayat raj elections. Voters in 22 districts are electing members of district councils, known as zila parishads, and panchayat samitis.

Ahead of the voting, Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma appealed to citizens to turn out in strong numbers. Posting on X, he wrote "Pehle matdan, phir jalpan!", a phrase that means "Vote first, then enjoy refreshments."

In his message, the Chief Minister noted that this phase of the panchayat polls is a significant opportunity to strengthen democracy and empower self-governance in villages. He requested all voters across the state to compulsorily exercise their franchise and play an active role in this festival of democracy.

Sharma gave special attention to first-time voters, asking them to cast their votes with enthusiasm and responsibility. He urged them to inspire their parents, relatives and friends to vote too.

He concluded by calling on voters to honour democratic values and, through higher turnout, help achieve the vision of an empowered panchayat, a flourishing village and a developed Rajasthan.

In this phase, 2,453 wards are being contested. This includes 275 zila parishad wards and 2,178 panchayat samiti wards. A total of 8,257 candidates are in the fray, of whom 984 are contesting zila parishad seats and 7,273 are contesting panchayat samiti seats.

The election will be held at 413 polling booths, where a total of 3 lakh 78 thousand 364 voters will exercise their right. Among them are 1 lakh 97 thousand 323 male voters and 1 lakh 81 thousand 40 female voters.