With the exit polls predicting a tough fight between the ruling Congress and the Opposition BJP, hectic parleys have started in Rajasthan before the counting of votes for the State Assembly election to win over rebels and independent candidates. Over 40 rebels of both the parties are in the fray as they were dissatisfied with the refusal of tickets despite their claims.
Faced with the likelihood of either of the two parties securing a slim majority, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has met Congress candidates and his Cabinet colleagues to get their feedback. On Saturday evening, Mr. Gehlot interacted with a large number of party candidates through video conferencing at his official residence. Pradesh Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra accompanied Mr. Gehlot during the meeting.
Amid the election-related activities, Mr. Gehlot called on Governor Kalraj Mishra at Raj Bhavan here over the weekend. The Chief Minister’s Office described it as a “courtesy meeting”.
Mr. Gehlot obtained booth-wise feedback from Congress candidates and discussed the impact of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s roadshow in Jaipur just before the election as well as the activities of BJP’s Rajya Sabha Member and candidate from Sawai Madhopur, Kirodi Lal Meena, according to sources in the Congress. Mr. Gehlot also asked the candidates to send senior party workers as polling agents to the counting centres on Sunday.
As many as seven Congress leaders considered close to Mr. Gehlot have fought the election as Independents this time. They include Johari Lal Meena, Alok Beniwal, Virendra Beniwal, Ramchandra Saradhana, Mahesh Mordia, Habib-ur-Rehman, and Gopal Baheti. The Congress faces the challenge of bringing them back to the party’s fold.
Senior BJP leader and former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, who was seen as being sidelined during the party’s election campaign, has also become active ahead of the vote counting day. Ms. Raje met Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leaders at Bharati Bhavan here on Friday, after which she called on the Governor for a courtesy meeting.
On Saturday, Ms. Raje offered prayers at Moti Dungari’s Ganesh temple in Jaipur, after which she went to Dausa to visit the famous Mehandipur Balaji temple. Ms. Raje wrote in a post on X that she had prayed for the happiness, prosperity and well-being of the State during her visits to the temples.
Ms. Raje is one of the contenders for the Chief Minister’s chair, though the BJP did not project her for the top post during its election campaign. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at an election rally that the BJP’s chief ministerial face would be the party’s lotus symbol. Before the counting day, Ms. Raje was reportedly in touch with candidates loyal to her who were fielded in the election.
Smaller parties, including the Rasthtriya Loktantrik Party, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Bharatiya Adivasi Party, and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), have also claimed they will collectively win 12 to 17 seats in the State. Both the Congress and the BJP may approach them if they fall short of the majority mark of 100 seats in the 200-member House.
