Dholpur bypoll: 25% voting recorded till 10 AM despite technical faults in EVMs

Nearly 25% votes were cast by 10 AM in the by-election to Dholpur Assembly constituency in Rajasthan on Sunday. The election office said around 25% polling was recorded in the seat by 10 AM.

Technical faults in the voting machines were reported at few booths after which were then rectified. The by-election in the constituency began peacefully at 7 AM on Sunday at 231 polling booths. The voting will continue till 6 PM.

A total of nearly 1.91 lakh voters are eligible to cast votes in the by-poll, of which nearly 1.18 lakh are males and 90,000 are females.

Paramilitary forces and RAC jawan have been deployed at 61 polling booths which were declared critical, District Election Officer Shuchi Tyagi said.

A total of 15 candidates are in fray. Apart from BJP candidate Shobha Rani and Congress's Banwari Lal Sharma, 13 other candidates including wife of dacoit Jagan Gujjar, Mamta, are contesting election thus making it a tough fight to win. Sharma has won from the seat for five times whereas Shobha Rani is contesting in place of her husband B L Kushwah who was convicted in a murder case and subsequently his membership was terminated.

Till 10 AM, nearly 25% voters exercised their right amid sporadic incidents of technical faults reported at few booths, which were rectified.