Voting in the third phase of Rajasthan's Panchayati Raj elections is being held on Tuesday, November 3, across 27 districts, with more than 1.07 crore voters set to decide the fate of 9,094 candidates, election officials said. Polling covers Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti seats, the district and block tiers of the state's three-tier rural local-body system.

Source: IANS via Hi India

According to election officials, 10,681,567 voters are eligible to vote in this phase, and 11,869 polling stations have been set up across the 27 districts. The third phase follows the first phase of polling on October 22 and the second phase on October 28, which Awaaz Punjab reported earlier in this election cycle.

Of the 9,094 candidates, 1,305 are contesting the 377 Zila Parishad seats, while 7,789 are in the fray for the 2,119 Panchayat Samiti seats, officials said. Voting for Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti members in this phase is being held on electronic voting machines, in line with the schedule announced by the Rajasthan State Election Commission.

Bharatpur draws the most candidates

Bharatpur district, the home district of Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, has the highest number of candidates for Panchayat Samiti seats in this phase, officials said. Elections there cover 98 Panchayat Samiti wards, with 696 candidates in the fray.

The phase is also being watched as a prestige contest between the ruling BJP and the Congress. The 27 districts going to the polls in this phase span 65 Assembly constituencies, of which the BJP holds 30 and the Congress 27, according to the reports.

What happens next

Polling for Panch and Sarpanch posts in the third-phase areas is scheduled for November 5, followed by the election of Up-Sarpanches on November 6. A fourth phase of Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti voting is scheduled for November 14, after which the elected members will choose the Zila Pramukhs and Pradhans.

Source: Daily Kiran (IANS)