Kota, Sep 11 (IANS): Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday cast his vote at a polling booth in Shakti Nagar and appealed to people across Rajasthan to exercise their franchise in large numbers in the ongoing civic elections, saying greater public participation would strengthen democracy and make institutions more accountable.
Speaking to reporters after casting his vote, Birla said voters play a crucial role in strengthening and empowering democracy by exercising their right to vote.
“In a democracy, voters strengthen and empower democracy by casting their votes. I believe that the greater the public participation in a democracy, the stronger and more empowered democracy becomes, making institutions more accountable to the people,” he said.
Birla urged voters across the state to participate actively in the ongoing urban local body elections.
“Therefore, I appeal to the people across the state to vote in maximum numbers and participate actively. This will strengthen and empower our democracy, ensuring that this institution also remains accountable to the public,” he said.
Meanwhile, polling for the second phase of the Rajasthan urban local body elections began at 7 a.m. on Friday and will continue until 6 p.m. across 147 urban local bodies.
The second phase covers six municipal corporations, 20 municipal councils and 121 municipalities, with a total of 8,760,884 voters eligible to exercise their franchise.
Polling is being conducted at 9,758 polling stations spread across 4,852 wards, with the electoral fate of 18,266 candidates at stake.
With the completion of polling in the second phase, elections for all 309 urban local bodies in Rajasthan will be concluded. Counting of votes will begin at 8 a.m. on September 14.
Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma has also appealed to voters to participate in the second phase in large numbers and exercise their democratic right.
Urging people to turn out in large numbers, CM Sharma said every vote would strengthen the foundation for urban development, better civic amenities and a brighter future. He also appealed to first-time voters to participate enthusiastically and encourage their families, friends and acquaintances to cast their votes.
Earlier, the Rajasthan Election Commission released the final voter turnout figures for the first phase of the Rajasthan urban body elections, held on Wednesday across 162 urban local bodies, including four municipal corporations. The final turnout stood at 76.41 per cent. The Arnod Municipality in Pratapgarh recorded the highest turnout at 91.98 per cent, while the Bhilwara Municipal Corporation recorded the lowest at 63.84 per cent.
The Commission had initially estimated the overall turnout at 76.04 per cent. Following revisions, the final figure was updated to 76.41 per cent. The turnout in the Chittorgarh Municipal Council was also revised from the initial estimate of 61.49 per cent to 68.15 per cent.
