Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Will BJP do a clean sweep in Rajasthan for the third time?
Jaipur: According to the exit poll, BJP will not be able to make a hat-trick of clean sweep in Rajasthan. BJP had won all 25 parliamentary seats in the state in 2014 and 2019, but this time the poll is estimating that the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may get five to seven seats. The real situation will be known after the counting of votes on Tuesday. Voting for 25 parliamentary seats in Rajasthan was held in two phases on 19 and 26 April. Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta said that votes will be counted at 29 designated centers amid tight security. He said that first the postal ballots will be counted, after that the votes from Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will be counted. Amidst the increased curiosity after the exit poll, Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasara has expressed confidence of winning 12 to 13 seats. This also includes Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma’s hometown Bharatpur. However, Sharma maintained the BJP’s stand and claimed that his party will win all 25 seats. The fate of prominent leaders like Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Union ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Arjun Ram Meghwal and Kailash Choudhary will also be decided in the counting process. One notable contender is former chief minister Ashok Gehlot’s son Vaibhav Gehlot, who contested from the Jalore-Sirohi seat, where his father enjoys considerable support. Rajasthan witnessed a fierce electoral battle in around 10 seats. The Congress has allied with the CPI(M) in Sikar and the RLP in Nagaur, while supporting the Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) in Banswara-Dungarpur. In contrast, the BJP contested all 25 seats independently. Seats like Kota, Jalore, Sikar, Nagaur, Churu, Jhunjhunu, Tonk-Sawaimadhopur, Barmer, Banswara and Jodhpur have become the focal point of tough competition, testing the credibility of senior leaders. In Kota, Birla is in direct contest with Congress’ Prahlad Gunjal.
In Jodhpur, there was a contest between Sachin Pilot’s loyalist Karan Singh Uchiyarda and Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. Independent candidate Ravindra Singh Bhati challenged both BJP and Congress candidates in the Barmer seat. The BJP had fielded Union Minister Kailash Choudhary from the seat. Nagaur witnessed a contest between two prominent Jat leaders, Hanuman Beniwal of the Congress ally Rashtriya Loktantrik Party and former Congress MP Jyoti Mirdha of the BJP. Union minister Meghwal contested against Congress candidate and former minister Govind Ram Meghwal in Bikaner. In Churu, the Congress fielded Rahul Kaswan, a two-time BJP MP who switched sides after differences with senior party leader Rajendra Rathore. He is pitted against BJP’s Devendra Jhajharia, a Paralympic gold medallist. Following the directions of the Election Commission, the election authority in the state has implemented stringent security measures and appointed micro- and counting observers at all centres.
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