NEW DELHI, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Bypolls to two parliamentary and one assembly seats in the western state of Rajasthan began Monday amid heavy security.
Voting for the parliamentary seats of Ajmer and Alwar, and the assembly seat of Mandalgarh started at 8 a.m. (local time) and will continue till 6 p.m. (local time). The poll results will be announced on Thursday.
All the three seats -- Ajmer, Alwar and Mandalgarh -- were held by India's as well as Rajasthan's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The three seats fell vacant due to the deaths of its lawmakers last year.
The bypolls are perceived as a litmus test for the BJP government in the state, led by its woman Chief Minister Vasundhra Raje, as well as the central government as Rajasthan goes to polls later this year and the general elections are scheduled for next year.
The bypolls are taking place four days after the release of controversial Bollywood movie Padmaavat, a bone of contention between the state's Rajput community and the BJP government.
The 200,000-strong Rajputs form a considerable part of the electorate in Alwar parliamentary seta and they have had decided to vote against the BJP over the film's release as they see the movie as a humiliation to the community.
Though the film has been released nation-wide, it's not been screened in Rajasthan.
