Jaipur: A total of 198 MLAs out of 200 in Rajasthan cast their vote in the 16th Presidential election on Monday.
Bhartiya Tribal Party MLA Rajkumar Roat and Congress MLA Bhanwar Lal Sharma did not turn up for voting.
While Sharma is unwell, Roat’s son is not well.
The polling for the 16th Presidential election in the Rajasthan Assembly premises began here at 10 a.m. with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot among early voters.
The government’s chief whip in the Assembly, Mahesh Joshi, also reached there to cast his vote.
Till 5.45 p.m. on Monday evening, 198 MLAs had cast their vote.
NDA Presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu is contesting the election against Opposition’s nominee Yashwant Sinha.
The polling ended at 5 p.m.
The ballot box has been packed. BJP MLA Jogeshwar Garg as the representative of NDA candidate Draupadi Murmu and the Election Commission team will go to Delhi with the ballot box in scheduled flight at 9.10 p.m. The flight will reach Delhi at around 10.10 p.m.
The ballot box will be kept in the strong room of the Parliament House.
After this, MLA Jogeshwar Garg and the Returning Officer of the Election Department, who had gone from Rajasthan, will return to Jaipur.
Counting of votes will take place on July 21.
–IANS