The outcome of the Rajasthan Assembly elections has sent shockwaves through the political landscape, surprising stalwarts from both the Congress and BJP. Notably, several ministers from the Ashok Gehlot government, including the Assembly Speaker, suffered defeat, and even the Leader of Opposition (LoP) and Deputy Leader of Opposition faced electoral setbacks.
In a surprising turn, Speaker CP Joshi was defeated by Vishwaraj Singh Mewar by a margin of over 7,504 votes in Nathdwara. Rajendra Rathore, a six-time MLA and the LoP, lost to Congress’ Narendra Budania by more than 10,000 votes after changing his seat from Churu to Tara Nagar. Meanwhile, Deputy LoP and former state president Satish Poonia faced defeat against the Congress’ Prashant Sharma by 9,092 votes.
Reflecting a pattern of alternating governments every five years in Rajasthan, the BJP secured a majority in this Assembly election. The Election Commission reported that the BJP won 115 seats, the Congress won 69 seats, and other candidates secured 15 seats.
Conceding defeat, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot submitted his resignation to the Governor. The Bharat Adivasi Party, participating in elections for the first time, secured three seats. Except for Hanuman Beniwal, no candidate from his Rashtriya Loktantrik Party emerged victorious. Only two MLAs from the Bahujan Samaj Party, a national party, clinched victories, while the Aam Aadmi Party and the Marxist Communist Party failed to secure any seats in the state.
This election witnessed several shocking results, with 17 out of 25 Congress Ministers, including Parsadi Lal Meena, Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, and Mamta Bhupesh, facing defeat. Notably, it marked the first time that the Speaker of the Assembly, along with the LoP and Deputy LoP, suffered electoral losses.
In the aftermath of the BJP's triumph in Rajasthan, senior party leaders are holding meetings to strategize for forming the government. In Delhi, BJP President JP Nadda has convened a meeting concerning Rajasthan, and Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has been summoned to Delhi for further discussions. The political landscape in Rajasthan is undergoing significant changes with these unexpected electoral outcomes.
(With Agency Inputs)
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