Rajasthan: Over 40% voter turnout in Karanpur election till early afternoon

Jaipur: A turnout of over 40 per cent was recorded in Karanpur by early afternoon as polling took place for the Rajasthan assembly constituency where minister Surendra Pal Singh is contesting as the BJP nominee.

The election for this seat was postponed due to the death of the Congress candidate and the then MLA Gurmeet Singh Koonar. The Congress has fielded Koonar's son, Rupinder Singh, from the seat.

Surendra Pal Singh has already been inducted into the Rajasthan ministry after the BJP won the assembly polls, bagging 115 of the 199 seats where the elections were held.

Voting began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm. Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta said 40.45 per cent of voters had cast their vote till 1.30 pm.

"Voters are coming to cast their votes amidst severe cold and fog," he said.

The Congress has criticised the BJP nominee's induction in the ministry, terming it a violation of the model code of conduct.

As per the rules, Kooner has six months to get elected to the assembly after being inducted as a minister.

According to officials, there are 2,40,826 voters in the Karanpur assembly constituency, which includes 1,25,850 men, 1,14,966 women and 10 transgender voters.