Jaipur, October 24: The first phase of panchayat elections in Rajasthan closed with a voter turnout of 80.09 per cent on Saturday, with 3,314 gram panchayats across 16 districts voting to elect sarpanchs and ward panchs, according to figures released by the State Election Commission and reported by PTI.

Source: PTI via News89

More than 16,500 candidates contested the sarpanch posts, while elections were also held for 28,682 ward panch seats. Polling ran from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and results were expected to be announced late on Saturday night, official data said.

Unlike previous panchayat elections held on electronic voting machines, this phase was conducted through ballot papers, with each voter casting two votes — one for sarpanch and one for ward panch — and counting beginning immediately after polling ended, IANS reported.

Source: IANS via hiINDiA

80.09%Overall turnout in phase 1
3,314Gram panchayats that voted
28,682Ward panch seats contested
91.42%Highest turnout — Mangta, Barmer

Barmer's Mangta tops, Pali's Rani Station lowest

Mangta in Barmer district recorded the highest turnout at 91.42 per cent, followed by Poogal in Bikaner at 90.55 per cent and Ramsar in Barmer at 90.03 per cent. Rani Station in Pali district recorded the lowest turnout at 56.82 per cent, followed by Kalandri in Sirohi at 57.31 per cent, the Commission's figures showed.

In Jaipur district, 1,525 candidates contested across 212 gram panchayats, with no candidate elected unopposed. In Kota district, polling was held for 162 sarpanch posts and 1,441 ward panch positions, while 122 gram panchayats voted across six panchayat samitis in Ajmer district, IANS reported.

Scattered protests and clashes reported

Polling was largely peaceful, though scattered disruptions were reported. In the Reni panchayat samiti area of Alwar, sarpanch candidate Rajendra Meena and his supporters staged a protest outside a polling station alleging bogus voting and demanding fresh polling; the tehsildar and the zonal magistrate reached the spot to calm the situation, PTI reported. The allegations have not been established.

In Bikaner, police dispersed a crowd that had gathered at a polling station towards the end of voting in Ridhmelsar Purohitan gram panchayat, and a minor clash between two groups was reported from Mauzamabad in Jaipur district. A sarpanch candidate was allegedly attacked in the Bhinder area of Udaipur, residents of Dugariya village in Pali boycotted the election, and a protest over alleged bogus voting was also reported from Bhilwara district, PTI reported.

The election process for this phase concludes on Sunday, when the elected ward panchs will choose the deputy sarpanchs. Further phases of sarpanch and ward panch polling are scheduled on October 30, November 5 and November 16.