Rajasthan Assembly By-Election 2024: Voting on November 13, Counting on November 23, Chief Electoral Officer Discusses with Political Party Representatives

Jaipur : Voting for the by-elections to seven vacant seats in the Rajasthan Assembly will be held on November 13. According to the election schedule announced by the Election Commission of India on Tuesday, the counting for these seats will take place on November 23, along with the Maharashtra and Jharkhand Assembly counts. The by-elections will be held in the Assembly constituencies of Jhunjhunu, Ramgarh (Alwar), Dausa, Deoli-Uniara (Tonk), Khimsar (Nagaur), Salumbar (Udaipur), and Chaurasi (Dungarpur).

Chief Electoral Officer Shri Naveen Mahajan held a meeting on Tuesday with representatives of various recognized political parties in the state at the Secretariat to discuss the schedule for the Assembly By-Election 2024 and to provide information about the Model Code of Conduct. The Election Department urged all parties to cooperate in ensuring free, fair, and peaceful elections and in adhering to the Model Code of Conduct.

The Chief Electoral Officer stated that with the announcement of the by-election, the Model Code of Conduct has come into effect in the relevant revenue districts. The code will apply across the entire districts of Dausa and Dungarpur and in the newly reorganized revenue districts of Alwar, Jhunjhunu, Tonk, Nagaur, and Salumbar. The notification for the by-election will be issued on October 18, marking the start of the nomination process, which will continue until 3 PM on October 25. Scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on October 28, and candidates may withdraw their nominations by October 30.

Shri Mahajan mentioned that, as per the rules of the Election Commission, all candidates and political parties participating in the election must publish details of the candidate’s criminal background at least three times on their websites, TV channels, and in national and local newspapers. He also instructed polling agents to ensure their presence for the mock poll on the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) 90 minutes before polling starts on election day.

A Total of 19.36 Lakh Voters in 7 Assembly Constituencies
The Chief Electoral Officer informed that during the Assembly by-election, a total of 19,36,533 voters will exercise their voting rights. There will be 1,862 polling stations and 53 auxiliary polling stations across the seven Assembly constituencies.

Shri Mahajan also mentioned that district-level committees have been formed in all concerned districts to oversee media cells and certification of political advertisements. He emphasized raising voter awareness, educating new voters about the voting process and EVMs, and ensuring maximum participation during the by-election.

In a press conference with media personnel, the Chief Electoral Officer provided details about the C-Vigil app for resolving complaints of Model Code of Conduct violations in the relevant areas. He discussed voter awareness campaigns, home voting facilities for more than 40% disabled and 85+ aged voters, updates to voter lists, monitoring of election expenses, and the effective role of the media in voter awareness and addressing code violations. He called on media personnel to actively participate in these activities to help conduct impartial, fear-free, and money-power-free elections.