Rajasthan: BJP MP writes to Election Commission to change polling date on November 23
The BJP has been stressing that on November 23, which is also Dev Uthani Ekadashi, the turnout may be less. In 2018, voter turnout in Rajasthan Assembly polls was recorded at 74.71 per cent and this time too the election department has made concentrated efforts to increase the turnout during polls.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Pali, PP Chaudhary on Wednesday wrote to the Election Commission (EC) for a change of polling date - November 23. The Election Commission announced on Monday that voting for all 200 Assembly seats in Rajasthan will take place on November 23 and the counting of votes will be taken up on December 3.
According to BJP, which is looking to bounce back in the state, reasoned that November 23 is Dev Uthani Ekadashi. On this auspicious occasion, when the state is scheduled to go to polls, more than 45,000 weddings are likely to take place in the state, and the people involved in the business claim that this could hurt the voting percentage. The wedding venues are already booked and full-scale wedding ceremonies will be held on November 23.
The chief electoral officer on Monday announced that there are 51,756 polling booths across the state. A few new booths have been set up for a small number of voters in order to encourage people to vote. More than 5.27 crore voters, including 2.75 crore male and 2.51 crore female voters, are eligible to exercise their franchise in this election, according to the final voter list. About 22 lakh voters aged between 18 and 19 years will cast their votes for the first time.