Jaipur: Polling on the remaining 13 of 25 Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan are underway after a high-voltage electioneering in the state. Among the 152 candidates in the fray in this phase are two Union ministers, the BJP state president and a former Assembly Speaker. The sons of two former chief ministers are also contesting in this phase of Lok Sabha elections.

Polling will be held at 28,758 booths from 7 am to 6 pm. Around 2.80 crore voters are eligible to vote in the second phase. This is the final phase of elections for Rajasthan where polling on 12 seats was held in the first phase on April 19.

Along with Lok Sabha general elections, a by-election is also being held in Bagidora assembly seat in Banswara which became vacant after Congress MLA Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya joined BJP. Malviya is contesting the Lok Sabha election from Banswara as the BJP candidate.

• 11.40 AM - 26.84% Voter Turnout Till 11 AM
  The voter turnout in Rajasthan till 11 am for the second phase of the polls stands at 26.84 per cent on Friday in the second phase of Lok Sabha polls 2024, according to the Election Commission of India.
• 11.15 AM - 80-Year-Old Died While Voting
  An elderly man who came to vote on Friday morning died in Bhilwara Lok Sabha constituency of Rajasthan. This incident happened in Subarnapur ward number 2. The name of the deceased is said to be Chhagan Bagela, who was around 80 years old.
• 11.00 AM - QUICK RECAP
  - 11.77% Voter Turnout Till 9 AM
  - Senior leaders including Ashok Gehlot, Om Birla, Gajendra Shekhawat cast their vote.
  - Technical Fault in EVM in Sirohi
  - Union Minister Gajendra Shekhawat asserted that BJP will win all 25 seats in the state.
  - Congress leader Vaibhav Gehlot hopeful of change of power in Jalore
  - People in Balwanta, Nasirabad Boycott Voting
• 10.45 AM - Transgender Community Urges All to Vote
  The enthusiasm among voters across the state is a sight to behold. Meanwhile, the transgender community also voted in Bhilwara with great fervour. In a special conversation with ETV Bharat, the community appealed to all the people to vote. "No one should think about what will happen with one vote. Everyone must vote to move their country forward. This is a great festival of democracy, where one must vote for nationalism," they said.
• 10.30 AM - Technical Fault in EVM in Sirohi
  There have been technical faults reported in Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) at Varada polling station of Sirohi district. The voting process was put on hold for half an hour in booth number 12, 24 and 44, after which the polling resumed. The citizens who turned out to vote had to face difficulty due to the glitch and scorching heat.
• 10.00 AM - BJP Candidate Lumbaram Chaudhary Cast His Vote in Sirohi
  BJP Lok Sabha candidate Lumbaram Choudhary cast his vote in Sirohi on Friday. Lumbaram exercised his franchise in Wadeli village of Sirohi Assembly. The leader even appealed to all the people to vote as much as possible.
• 9.30 AM - 11.77% Voter Turnout Till 9 AM
  The voter turnout in Rajasthan till 9 am for the second phase of the polls stands at 11.77 per cent on Friday in the second phase of Lok Sabha polls 2024, according to the Election Commission of India.
• 9.00 AM - People in Balwanta, Nasirabad Boycott Voting
  According to reports, the villagers of Balwanta in Nasirabad, Ajmer have called for boycott of voting. The boycott is due to their demand of drinking water. Since the start of the polls, only two voters have cast their votes out of 3000 voters. Yesterday, the villagers had organised a meeting and called for voting boycott.
• 8.50 AM - 'Fight to Save Constitution': BJP candidate from Kota Om Birla
  "This is not a fight to save the constitution, the constitution is in good hands. They are just spreading lies. Social structure and social reservation will remain intact... The airport will definitely be constructed. The state government had not paid dues for nine months, but as soon as Bhajanlal Sharma became the CM, the Rajasthan government deposited the money within 20 days. Airport construction will begin after a DPR is formed...," Om Birla said.
• 8.45 AM - 'Will Win All 25 Seats': Union Minister Gajendra Shekhawat
  Union Minister and BJP candidate from Rajasthan's Jodhpur, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat cast his vote on Friday. "...We will win the Jodhpur seat, and also win all 25 seats in Rajasthan and over 400 seats in the country," the Union Minister said after coming out from the booth.
• 8.20 AM - BJP Candidate from Barmer Kailash Choudhary Cast His Vote
  Union Minister and BJP candidate from Barmer, Kailash Choudhary cast his vote at a polling booth in the constituency. He is up against independent candidate Ravindra Singh Bhati and Congress candidate Ummeda Ram Beniwal.
• 8.00 AM - '100% Sure...': Congress Candidate Vaibhav Gehlot from Jalore
  Congress candidate from Jalore Lok Sabha seat Vaibhav Gehlot said, "Be it any election, our entire family goes together to cast the vote...I appeal to the people to bless the people. There is a good atmosphere in Rajasthan...There is enthusiasm that is in the people of Jalore for Congress. I am 100% confident that people are bringing a change in Jalore this time."
• 7.45 AM - 'BJP will Win Again', says Vasundhara Raje
  "The country wants development, this is why BJP will form the government again and PM Narendra Modi will win a third term. Jhalawar MP Dushyant Singh has been receiving good support... I believe he will create history this time as well... We can never take anything for granted. Everything is in the hands of god and the voters...," Raje said after casting her vote.
• 7.35 AM - Former CM Vasundhara Raje Cast Her Vote
  Former Chief Minister of Rajasthan and senior BJP leader Vasundhara Raje cast her vote at a polling booth in Jhalawar. The leader took to X (formerly Twitter) and urged all to vote, "I urge all voters to exercise their right to choose development, progress and prosperity. Voting is your duty and also the power of this democracy. Remember, each of your votes is very important."
• 7.25 AM - Ashok Gehlot Seeks Blessings
  Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Congress candidate from Jalore Lok Sabha seat Vaibhav Gehlot seek blessings of their ancestors ahead of polling in Jodhpur.
• 7.20 AM - Mannalal Rawat Cast His Vote
  BJP candidate from Udaipur Mannalal Rawat cast his vote early morning on Friday. He exercised his franchise in the Navjeevan School polling booth in Savina area. A large number of voters have been standing in queue at the polling stations since morning in Rajasthan.
• 7.10 AM - PM Modi Calls For Record Voter Turnout
  "Urging everyone in constituencies voting today, in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections, to participate in record numbers. A high voter turnout strengthens our democracy. I especially urge our young voters and women voters to turn out in great numbers. Your vote is your voice," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.
• 7.00 AM - Polling Begins
  The voting for 13 seats in Rajasthan started at 7 am. The first approximate voter turnout will come at 9 am. ETV Bharat urges all the citizens of the 13 constituencies in Rajasthan to exercise your franchise and strengthen the democracy.
• 6.45 AM - Rajasthan's Hot Seats Under Polls in 2nd Phase
  Barmer-Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Jalore, Chittorgarh, Banswara and Kota-Bundi are the hot seats in this phase. The other constituencies going to polls are Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Pali, Udaipur, Rajsamand, Kota and Jhalawar-Baran.
• 6.30 AM - CEC Rajiv Kumar Sums Up All Preparation Ahead of 2nd Phase LS Polls
  "We have been preparing for the last 2 years. The arrangements are in place at all the booths...All arrangements have been made for the voters including drinking water, fans...The voters need to come out and vote...Security has been kept in mind...There is absolutely no information of violence from anywhere. Still, forces will be present on all booths," Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar urges all citizens to come out and vote in their respective constituencies.

Security Arrangement and Hot Seats

More than 1.72 lakh personnel have been deployed on election duty to ensure free and fair polls while 82,487 security personnel including policemen, home guards, forest guards, and Rajasthan Armed Constabulary jawans. Chief electoral officer Praveen Gupta said 175 companies of central police forces will also be there for security-related arrangements.

Barmer-Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Jalore, Chittorgarh, Banswara and Kota-Bundi are the hot seats in this phase. The other constituencies going to polls are Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Pali, Udaipur, Rajsamand, Kota and Jhalawar-Baran.

After a low voter turnout during the first phase of elections on April 19 at 58.28 per cent, leaders focused on urging people to vote in the second phase.

Key Constituencies

Located along the India-Pakistan border, Barmer-Jaisalmer is the largest Lok Sabha constituency of Rajasthan. It is witnessing a triangular contest among Independent candidate Ravindra Singh Bhati, the Congress' Ummeda Ram and the BJP's Kailash Chaudhary. Bhati, 26, is an Independent MLA from the Sheo constituency of Barmer district.

Former Chief Minister and Congress leader Ashok Gehlot's son Vaibhav Gehlot is contesting the Lok Sabha election from Jalore. Ashok Gehlot focused most of his campaigning on this seat and is likely to make it a tough contest for the BJP's Lumbaram, a grassroots-level leader. Vaibhav lost his first Lok Sabha election in 2019 to the BJP's Gajendra Singh Shekhawat from Jodhpur.

After Barmer-Jaisalmer, all eyes are on Jodhpur, where BJP candidate Shekhawat is facing a neck-and-neck fight with the Congress' Karan Singh Uchiarda. While Shekhawat is contesting from Jodhpur for the third time after winning the seat in 2014 and 2019, it is the maiden Lok Sabha fight of Karan Singh.