Jaipur: Jaipur Municipal Corporation polls on Friday saw 63.5% turnout, with strong booth-level mobilisation by political parties but scattered incidents of unrest, voter complaints and allegations of bogus voting. The turnout was higher than the 59% recorded in JMC Greater and 62% in JMC Heritage in the pandemic-hit 2020 civic polls.Voters reported difficulties over access, electoral-roll discrepancies and alleged bogus voting, raising concerns over the conduct of the pollAGITATION AGAINST DEPUTY CMTension erupted around noon in Ward 22 of Khatipura when deputy chief minister Diya Kumari was confronted near a polling booth. A video showed the BJP MLA seated in her car as protesters surrounded it and shouted “roll back UGC” over the UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations-2026, currently stayed by the Supreme Court.Kumari had voted earlier and urged people to participate in the civic polls.
videograb showed Kumari, the local MLA, seated inside her car as protesters surrounded it and shouted “Roll Back UGC”. Some protesters were seen wearing saffron scarves
BOOTHS NOT DIFFERENTLY-ABLED FRIENDLYAccessibility gaps were reported at polling centres in Vidyadhar Nagar, including Central Academy, Ambabari, and Govt Upper Primary School, Sector 8. With no ramps, wheelchair users had to be lifted to reach booths. Wheelchair user Anshika Sharma said accessibility was a basic democratic right, not an option.FALSE VOTESAllegations of bogus voting surfaced at several booths. At Shree Ram Public Senior Secondary School in Ward 49, Congress candidate Dharam Singh Singhaniya alleged that at least four women were turned away after finding their votes had already been cast.A commotion broke out at Booth 23 in Ward 62 (Jagatpura-Tilawala) over alleged bogus voting. Three independent candidates and the Congress candidate complained to the sector magistrate, alleging fraudulent voting in the names of around 150 shifted voters.In Ward 114, a dispute erupted at Kaseriyon Ki Dharamshala polling booth in Dhabhai Ji Ka Khurra over a Congress candidate’s presence inside the booth. Supporters of the candidate and independents clashed, prompting police to intervene.POLLS EXTENDED WEEKENDPolitical workers attributed the low turnout partly to the poll date, which fell ahead of a long weekend. An entire colony in Sector 1, Vidyadhar Nagar, under Ward 8, reportedly chose to go on a trip instead of voting Friday.“There is no point. Nothing is going to change. Whichever party forms the JMC governing board, the situation will remain the same,” a resident said.Congress worker Amit Lohar said several residents turned the extended weekend into a holiday, while some private offices remained open despite a district collector’s circular. Some private schools declared a holiday but asked staff to report for duty.Political workers also questioned the poll-day selection.EVM GLITCHESAt a Ward 72 booth in Jawahar Vidyalaya, an EVM developed a fault around 12.30pm. Though it was replaced within 20 minutes, the new machine also malfunctioned, leaving voters waiting for nearly 2.5 hours. A similar glitch at a Ward 113 booth in Agarwal Dharamshala, Kanwatiya Ka Khurra, triggered protests.In Ward 106, voting at a Govt Senior Secondary School near Gutya Hanuman temple was halted for 30 minutes due to a technical glitch. Some voters reportedly left without voting after the machine was replaced. Glitches were also reported during mock polling in several wards.
