Jaipur, Nov 25 (PTI) More than 55 per cent of the electorate in Rajasthan voted by 3 pm on Saturday to elect a new government in a bipolar contest, with both the Congress and the BJP expressing hope of getting the people's mandate.

Polling began at more than 51,000 polling booths at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm.

Officials said voting was by and large peaceful across the state. However, two people - a polling agent of a candidate and an elderly voter - died of cardiac arrest at polling booths in Pali and Udaipur districts.

The voting percentage till 3 pm was 55.63 per cent, an official said. In the first two hours of voting, nearly 10 per cent of voters cast their votes and the figure went up to nearly 25 per cent by 11 am and to more than 40 per cent by 1 pm, he added.

There are more than 5.25 crore registered voters in 199 seats, out of a total of 200 in the state. Polling in one constituency has been postponed due to the death of a candidate. The voters will decide the fate of 1,862 candidates.

The Election Commission has made elaborate arrangements to ensure smooth polling. More than 1.70 lakh security personnel have been deployed across the state.

The election in the desert state is a direct contest between the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP. The Congress is aiming to buck the trend of the ruling party being voted out every five years, while BJP is eyeing a return in the state ahead of the Lok Sabha polls next year.

Since morning, people showed enthusiasm and came out to vote in large numbers.

Many voters, youngsters as well as the elderly, queued up at polling centres well before 7 am.

'I got ready by 6 am, called up my friends and reached the polling booth so that we are the first ones to vote,' Himanshu Jaiyaswal, a college student, told PTI at a polling booth in Nitin Public School in Malviya Nagar.

'This is the festival of democracy and all should participate in it,' Jai Singh, another voter, said.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Union ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Kailash Chaudhary, former chief minister Vasundhara Raje and former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot were among the first ones to cast their votes. Gehlot and Shekhawat cast their votes in Jodhpur, Chaudhary in Balotra, Raje in Jhalawar and Pilot in Jaipur.

Rajasthan BJP president C P Joshi exercised his franchise in Chittorgarh and party MPs Diya Kumari and Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore voted in Jaipur. Kumari and Rathore are among the seven BJP parliamentarians who are contesting the assembly elections.

In their interactions with the media, the leaders expressed confidence that their respective parties will get the mandate of the people.

There is no anti-incumbency against the Congress and the party will form the government in the state again, Chief Minister Gehlot said in Jodhpur.

'There seems to be an undercurrent. Looks like the (Congress) government will be repeated,' he said.

Talking to reporters in Jhalawar, Gehlot's predecessor Raje agreed with him but said it would benefit her BJP. 'I agree with him. There is indeed an undercurrent but in the favour of BJP. Lotus (BJP's poll symbol) will bloom on December 3,' she said.

In Jodhpur, Union minister Shekhawat said, 'BJP is coming to power with a huge majority. This time people will vote keeping in mind crimes committed against women, paper leak incidents and corruption during the five-year rule of the Congress.' Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and several other leaders appeal to the people of Rajasthan to vote in large numbers.

Officials said the polling was going on smoothly across the state barring a few stray incidents.

In Pali district, a polling agent of a BJP candidate died due to suspected cardiac arrest.

An official said Shanti Lal, a polling agent of BJP candidate from the Sumerpur constituency Joraram Kumawat, collapsed at the booth number 47. He was rushed to a nearby hospital and then to the district hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.

An elderly voter died due to a cardiac arrest at a polling booth in Udaipur.

Satyendra Arora, 62, collapsed at the polling booth. He was taken to a nearby hospital by his family members where doctors declared him dead.

At Charvali village in the Pindwada Abu constituency in Sirohi district, people boycotted voting. An official said the villagers demanded that their gram panchayat be changed and a service road be built along the highway near their village. They say that several road accidents have happened on the road connecting the village to the highway therefore a service road is needed. The village has 890 voters. Officials tried to convince them to vote.

In Sikar's Fatehpur, two groups clashed and engaged in stone pelting, police said.

There were also reports of a clash between supporters of two candidates in Dholpur's Bari seat.

Giving details of the turnout till 3 pm, officials said the Tijara assembly constituency recorded the highest voter turnout of 69.37 per cent, followed by Pokaran 67.51 per cent.

In Tijara, Alwar MP and BJP candidate Baba Balaknath is pitted against Imran Khan of Congress. In Pokaran in Jaisalmer, the contest is between the BJP's Pratapuri Maharaj and Congress candidate Saleh Mohammad.

The Bharatpur assembly constituency recorded the lowest voter turnout till 3 pm at 45.74 per cent, officials said.

In the last assembly elections in 2018, Rajasthan recorded a voter turnout of 74.06 per cent.

The Election Commission has set a target of at least 75 per cent turnout in each constituency this time.

Selfie points were put up at polling booths and people, particularly young voters, took selfies after casting their votes.

Rajasthan has a total of 200 assembly seats but polling is being held on 199 seats as election in Karanpur in Sriganganagar district has been postponed following the death of Congress candidate Gurmeet Singh Koonar. There are 5,25,38,105 voters in the 199 assembly constituencies.

Chief Minister Gehlot (Sardarpura), Vasundhara Raje (Jhalrapatan), Sachin Pilot (Tonk), state Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra (Lachhmangarh), Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) convenor Hanuman Beniwal (Khinvsar) are some of the key faces among the 1,862 candidates in the fray.

The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are also contesting the assembly polls in the state.

The results of the polls will be declared on December 3.

In the 2018 assembly polls, the Congress wrested power from the BJP and formed the government with Ashok Gehlot as chief minister for a third time. The Congress had won 100 seats and the BJP 73 then.

In the 2013 assembly elections, the BJP formed the government with Vasundhara Raje becoming the chief minister for a second time. In 2013, the BJ had won 163 seats and the Congress 21. PTI SDA AG SMN SMN