Jaipur (Rajasthan): The fourth phase of the Panchayati Raj elections in Rajasthan is underway on Saturday, covering Zila Parishads (district councils) across 25 districts and 116 Panchayat Samitis (block-level councils).
In this phase, 1,322 candidates are in the fray for 382 wards across 25 Zila Parishads, while 7,521 candidates are contesting for 2,142 wards across 116 Panchayat Samitis. A total of 10,594,285 voters, comprising 5,488,275 men and 5,105,951 women, will decide the electoral outcomes.
In Bassi and Tunga, voting for the fourth phase of the Panchayati Raj elections began at 7:00 AM and will continue until 6:00 PM, marking a grand celebration of democracy as voters have been arriving at polling stations since early morning to exercise their franchise.
In Bassi, 128,504 voters, and in Tunga, 63,842 voters, will determine the fate of the candidates, with women voters holding a strong presence as their numbers exceed those of male voters in both areas.
The electoral fortunes of 127 candidates are at stake across 25 Panchayat Samiti seats in Bassi and 15 in Tunga, while voting is also being held for six Zila Parishad seats within the Bassi assembly constituency as voters cast their ballots for both Panchayat Samiti and Zila Parishad representatives.
To facilitate the voting process, the administration has set up a model polling station in Khokhawala (Bassi) and a model booth in Anatpura (Tunga), both featuring special arrangements for voters.
Bassi SDM Deepak Singh and Tunga ACM Shipra Jain are overseeing the electoral arrangements, while returning officers are inspecting polling stations and reviewing preparations as the administration remains on high alert to ensure a peaceful polling process.
Earlier, the BJP emerged as the largest party, winning 197 civic bodies in Rajasthan out of the 301 for which the election results were declared on Monday, followed by the Congress with 94.
According to the results declared so far, the tally for 301 of the 309 chairpersons and mayors of urban local bodies in Rajasthan stands at 197 for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), 94 for the Congress, seven Independents, one each for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP), while the Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) has not won any seat.