When BJP candidate from Tijara, Mahant Balak Nath, termed his electoral battle with the Congress’s Imran Khan as a match between India and Pakistan, the Congress alleged “politics of polarisation”. On December 3, Mr. Balak Nath won.
The BJP’s gamble of fielding four Hindu priests in Rajasthan to back its voluble attack on the Congress’s “politics of minority appeasement” seems to have succeeded, with all four saffron-robed candidates - Balmukund Acharya from Hawa Mahal constituency, Mahant Pratap Puri from Pokhran, Otaram Dewasi from Sirohi, along with Mr. Balak Nath - winning the election.
For the first time ever, the BJP did not field a single Muslim candidate, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi repeatedly accusing the Congress of condoning “riots and terrorism” in his campaign speeches.
