The Opposition BJP wrested power from the Congress in Rajasthan on Sunday by obtaining a clear majority and emerging as the single largest party past the halfway mark in the closely fought Assembly election. The BJP won 115 of the 199 seats contested while the Congress was at a distant second with 69 seats.
The desert State has maintained its tradition of voting out the incumbent government during the last three decades in the election results. The BJP’s victory also came as a setback to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who was expecting to beat the anti-incumbency trend with his welfare schemes, social security measures, and seven guarantees promised to the electorate.
The results depicted an influence of the BJP’s identity politics on the voters as well as the acceptance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “guarantee of delivering on guarantees” during a series of rallies he addressed in the State during the election campaign. The BJP has been pitching Mr. Modi’s promises as a counter to the Congress’s plank of schemes for beneficiaries.
