Polling is underway in four urban local bodies in Rajasthan’s Sikar district in the second phase of the municipal elections. More than 2.92 lakh voters across Sikar, Ramgarh Shekhawati, Losal and Dhod will vote for 537 candidates until 6 pm.
The second phase of polling in Sikar district covers Sikar Municipal Council, Ramgarh Shekhawati Municipality, Losal Municipality and Dhod Municipality. Voters are casting their ballots for candidates contesting the councillor posts in their respective wards.
Polling began at 7 am and will continue until 6 pm. More than 2.92 lakh voters are eligible to vote across the four urban local bodies. The voters will decide the outcome for 537 candidates in the fray.
Polling in the district’s other 10 urban local bodies was completed on September 9. Counting of votes for all the municipal elections will be held on September 14.
Sikar Municipal Council is the largest of the four urban local bodies and has the highest number of voters.
Sikar Municipal Council has 2,27,635 voters, while Ramgarh has 24,124, Losal has 30,975 and Dhod has 9,796 voters.
Sikar Municipal Council has the highest number of candidates among the four urban local bodies. Elections are being held across 65 wards, with 262 candidates contesting.
The number of candidates varies across wards. While some wards have multiple candidates, others have only two candidates, resulting in direct contests in some wards and multi-cornered contests in others.
Ward number 18 of Sikar Municipal Council has the highest number of candidates, with 11 candidates contesting the election.
The candidates include Congress’s Sabir Hussain and BJP’s Shakeel, along with seven independent candidates. One candidate each from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party is also contesting from the ward.
Only two candidates are contesting in each of 10 wards of Sikar Municipal Council. The contests in these wards are between Congress and BJP candidates.
The wards with two candidates are Ward numbers 14, 21, 26, 28, 31, 34, 41, 44, 45 and 52.
Women voters were among those arriving at polling centres in Sikar Municipal Council’s Ward 14 after polling began.
Queues of male and female voters were seen at polling centres. A long queue was reported outside the polling centre at Senior Secondary School Number 5 in Sikar in the morning.
Voters are casting their ballots within the prescribed polling hours, while officials are monitoring arrangements at the polling centres.
According to the available data, there are 17,191 male voters and 12,526 female voters in the 18 to 25 age group.
In the 26 to 35 age group, there are 29,528 male voters and 29,080 female voters. The 36 to 59 age group comprises 51,024 male voters and 45,859 female voters.
Among voters aged 60 years and above, there are 20,461 male voters and 21,960 female voters.
The figures provided show a total of 1,18,204 male voters and 1,09,425 female voters.
A local holiday has been declared in the urban local body areas where polling is taking place.
September 11 has also been declared a dry day. The sale of liquor will remain prohibited in the election areas during the dry day, with the administration monitoring compliance with the rules during the election process.
Sikar Additional SP Dr Tejpal Singh is inspecting polling booths across the city during the voting process. He reviewed security arrangements and other facilities at the polling centres.
Officials are monitoring arrangements at polling centres and overseeing the smooth conduct of voting. Security arrangements at sensitive locations are also being monitored.
Polling for the four urban local bodies under the second phase in Sikar district will continue until 6 pm today. Votes for all municipal elections will be counted on September 14.
Polling in the remaining 10 urban local bodies of the district was completed on September 9. After the second phase of polling, candidates and political parties will await the counting of votes on September 14.
