EVM glitches were reported at several polling booths in Jaipur, Jhunjhunu, Kota, Pushkar and other locations in Rajasthan on Friday, disrupting voting and sparking protests during the second and final phase of the urban local body polls, officials said.
Polling began at 7 a.m. for 147 urban local bodies, with more than 87 lakh voters eligible to decide the fate of 18,266 candidates. By 1 p.m., the State Election Commission recorded a voter turnout of 44.90 percent. Barodamev municipality in Alwar posted the highest turnout at 75.13 percent, while Ajmer municipality registered the lowest at 35.61 percent.
In Kota, the malfunction of an EVM at booth 2 of Ward 22 caused a temporary halt in voting, and voters in blocks 3 and 3A of Ward 3 could not vote due to mismatched names on the BLO list. In Jaipur, a dispute erupted at ward 114 after supporters of an independent candidate objected to a Congress candidate’s presence; police were called to the scene. Ahead of polling in Chidawa municipality, independent candidate Ashok Sharma was allegedly attacked by three motorcycle‑borne men, injuring him on the head.
Several prominent leaders cast their votes during the day. Lok Sabha Speaker and Kota‑Bundi MP Om Birla voted in Shakti Nagar and urged widespread participation. Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot voted in Jodhpur’s Mahamandir area, targeting the BJP government and calling for a stronger constitution. The BJP lodged a complaint over alleged model‑code violations at a polling station where Gehlot voted.
The six municipal corporations in the final phase are Jaipur, Ajmer, Jodhpur, Kota, Udaipur and Pali. Jaipur Municipal Corporation, the largest civic body, has 150 wards, 24.33 lakh voters and 2,256 polling booths. The first phase held on September 9 saw a turnout of 76.41 percent. Vote counting for councillor posts will begin on September 14, with mayors and chairpersons elected on September 21 and deputy officials on September 22.
