All set for assembly poll in Rajasthan

Jaipur, Dec 3 (PTI) Amid unprecedented security, the
stage is set for Thursday's assembly election in Rajasthan
which is witnessing a no-holds-barred battle between arch-foes
Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress.

Over 3.62 crore voters, including 1.72 crore women, are
likely to exercise their franchise to elect 200 members to the
House from among 2194 contestants.

Ruling BJP and main opposition Congress are locked in a
see-saw fight and have pulled out all the stops to woo voters
in the run-up to Thursday's voting.

Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party is also determined to make
its presence felt in the state by contesting on as many as 199
seats.

Congress has put up candidates in all 200 constituencies
and BJP in 199. As many as 1019 Independents are also trying
their luck at the hustings.

The one-day polling will decide among other others the
political fate of Chief Minister and BJP stalwart Vasundhra
Raje, Congress leader and ex-CM Ashok Gehlot, state PCC chief
C P Joshi and assembly Speaker Sumitra Singh.

In the backdrop of deadly terror assault in Mumbai, a
multi-layered security cover has been thrown across the desert
state to ensure free, fair and peaceful polling.

Adequate police and central para-military force personnel
will be deployed to maintain law and order during the voting,
Rajasthan Home Secretary S N Thanvi said.

For the first time, "Quick Response Mobile Teams" have
been constituted in the state to keep vigil in-and-around
polling centres, he said.

Rajasthan's borders with Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar
Pradesh and Gujarat have been sealed to prevent criminals and
anti-socials from entering the state, Director General of
Police K S Bains said.

In the run-up to the election, star campaigners, regional
chieftains and local leaders criss-crossed the state to woo
voters.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress chief Sonia
Gandhi, her son Rahul Gandhi, BJP's Prime Ministerial hopeful
L K Advani and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi were among
those who solicited votes for their party nominees.

Around 50 rebels from Congress and BJP are in the fray
sending jitters to official nominees.

Notable among these are Vishwendra Singh and Kirori Lal
Meena. Both of them, however, have been expelled from primary
membership of the BJP.

Five BJP MPs -- Kiran Maheshwari, Raghveer Singh Kaushal,
Srichand Kripalani, Dhansingh Rawat and Jaskaur Meena -- and
Congress lawmaker Karan Singh Yadav also contesting the
assembly poll.