Rajasthan civic polls: EVM glitches disrupt voting at some booths in final phase

Electrical Voting Machine (EVM) technical issues disrupted the voting process at certain polling stations during the second and final phase of Rajasthan's civic elections on September 11, 2026. The malfunctions caused disruptions and protests at some locations. Voting commenced at 7 am for 147 urban local bodies, with over 87 lakh voters eligible to cast their ballots in 18,266 contests.

The voting process will continue until 6 p.m. The State Election Commission reported 87,60,884 eligible voters at 9,758 polling booths across 4,774 wards for elections in six municipal corporations, 24 municipal councils, and 117 municipalities. Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot cast his vote in Jodhpur, criticizing the BJP government and alleging that the BJP had failed to deliver in the past two-and-a-half years.

The BJP lodged a complaint with the Jodhpur district election officer, claiming a polling team member touched Gehlot's feet, alleging political bias. Rajasthan BJP president Madan Rathore cast his vote in Pali district, while Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma urged citizens to participate in the electoral process. In Jaipur, a dispute erupted at a polling station after supporters of an independent candidate objected to a Congress candidate's presence.

Police intervened when three men allegedly attacked Independent candidate Ashok Sharma in Jhunjhunu district before polling. Former Minister and BJP leader Anita Bhadel, the Ajmer South MLA, expressed confidence in the BJP's performance. The six municipal corporations voting are Jaipur, Ajmer, Jodhpur, Kota, Udaipur, and Pali. Jaipur, the largest civic body with 150 wards, has 24.33 lakh voters and 2,256 polling stations.

The first phase, held on September 9, saw a voter turnout of 76.41%. Final phase elections will conclude on September 22, with the voting for deputy mayors, deputy chairpersons, and municipal vice-presidents.