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Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla cast his vote in the ongoing Rajasthan urban local body elections on Friday and urged people across the state to exercise their franchise, saying greater voter participation strengthens democracy.
Talking to reporters, Om Birla emphasised the vital role of civic participation following his vote and underscored that public engagement strengthens democracy. He said, "Voters strengthen democracy by casting their votes. I believe that the greater the participation of the people in democracy, the stronger the democracy will be. I appeal to the people across the state to vote..." Meanwhile, on Friday, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma cast his vote along with his wife at a polling station in Getor, Jagatpura, and urged people to participate in the second and final phase of the Rajasthan Urban Local Body Elections 2026, saying that every vote is important in the festival of democracy". Sharma cast his vote at the polling station set up at Navodaya Teacher Training College and appealed to citizens to exercise their franchise and elect representatives to their urban local bodies. First of all, I would like to appeal to the people of Rajasthan that this is a festival of democracy. In this festival of democracy, every single vote of ours carries immense importance. Therefore, I urge all brothers and sisters to cast their votes and fully elect their urban local bodies so that our development can take place, Sharma said. The Chief Minister also highlighted his government's implementation of the 'One State, One Election' initiative in Rajasthan, claiming that frequent elections under the previous Congress government resulted in wastage of public money and repeatedly brought development work to a halt due to the imposition of the Model Code of Conduct. When we came into government, we stated that we would end this system, because within Rajasthan, the Model Code of Conduct was being imposed every three months, bringing development to a halt, he said. Sharma said his government had fulfilled its commitment to introduce 'One State, One Election' despite hurdles and legal challenges. We fulfilled our resolve for 'One State, One Election,' and under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rajasthan is continuously moving forward, he said. He urged voters to choose development over caste and religion and backed the BJP's triple-engine government model. Genuine development looks at neither caste nor religion; it benefits everyone equally. The Bharatiya Janata Party has been consistently working for you. With a 'triple-engine' government, comprehensive development will be assured, Sharma said. Polling for the second and final phase is underway across 147 urban local bodies, comprising six municipal corporations, 20 municipal councils and 121 municipalities. Voting is being held from 7 am to 6 pm. According to the State Election Commission, 18,266 candidates are contesting the elections, with around 87.60 lakh voters eligible to cast their ballots. Counting of votes will be held on September 14. (ANI)
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