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As voting began in 199 out of 200 assembly seats in Rajasthan on Saturday, a mock poll conducted ahead of polling failed at booth number 63 of the Hanumangarh district due to EVM malfunction.
After a 20-minute delay, the mock poll was conducted, said District Magistrate Hanumangarh Kuldeep Sharma. "The mock poll was scheduled to be held at 6 am. The Zonal Officer reached the spot and repaired the EVM. The mock poll was conducted after a delay of about 20 minutes. EVM has now been repaired," he added. The polling for 199 seats began at 7 am and voters can cast their ballots until 6 pm. Adequate security arrangements have been made to ensure peaceful and fair elections. The ruling Congress is eyeing another term, while the BJP is seeking to replace the Ashok Gehlot government, with the party banking on the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Prominent candidates in the fray include Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, former CM Vasundhara Raje, former Deputy CM Sachin Pilot, Congress national spokesperson Gourav Vallabh, Union Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore, Vishwaraj Singh Mewar, Rajasthan Assembly Speaker CP Joshi, and Rajasthan LoP Rajendra Rathore. Many rebel candidates of BJP and Congress withdrew their names after persuasion. But still, around 45 rebel candidates from both parties are in the fray. These also include MLAs, former MLAs and party officials. The counting of votes will be taken up on December 3.BJP and Congress are engaged in an intense fight with both parties seeking to outdo each other in terms of poll promises. The role of smaller parties is also crucial. BSP has won seats in the state. Aam Aadmi Party is also in the fray. The smaller parties include the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party, Bharatiya Adivasi Party, CPI-M, Jannayak Janata Party and Azad Samaj Party. Violence against women, paper leak scam, farmers' suicides are some of the key issues that were highlighted by the opposition BJP to strike against the ruling Congress. CM Gehlot has reaffirmed that Congress will return to power, putting an end to the three-decade-old alternating government trend in the western state. (ANI)
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