Rajasthan Assembly Election 2018 Results: Congress Heads Towards Majority; RLD Promises Support

The Congress is heading towards victory in Rajasthan where it has won 60 seats and leading on 38 seats while the ruling BJP has won 42 and leading on 32 seats out of the 199 seats which went to Rajasthan Assembly Election 2018 on December 7.

Jaipur: The Congress is heading towards victory in Rajasthan where it has won 60 seats and leading on 38 seats while the ruling BJP has won 42 and leading on 32 seats out of the 199 seats which went to Rajasthan Assembly Election 2018 on December 7. A party needs to win 100 seats to form government in the state. Meanwhile, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) has extended support to the Congress to form a stable government in the state.

“Respecting the mandate of the people, party President Chaudhary Ajit Singh has directed the MLA of the party to help Congress form a stable government,” National Vice President of RLD Jayant Chaudhary issued a letter on Tuesday.

Congress candidates Sachin Pilot (Tonk), Ashok Gehlot (Sardarpura), Johri Lal Meena (Rajgarh-Laxmangarh), Madan Prajapapat (Pachpadra), Zahida Khan (Kaman), Ramlal Jat (Mandal) and Prashant Bairwa (Niwai) won, while BJP’s Santosh (Anupgarh), Kaluram (Dag), Sama Ram Garaisa (Pindwara-Abu), Jagsi Ram (Reodar) won.

BSP’s Sandeep Kumar (Tijara) and Wajib Ali (Nagar) have also won. CM Vasundhara Raje has also won from her home turf Jhalrapatan.

Rajasthan has a 200-member assembly but polling on Alwar’s Ramgarh constituency was postponed following the death of the BSP candidate there.

Despite extensive electioneering, which involved Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the BJP does not seem to retain power in the state.

The trend that BJP and Congress parties are voted to power alternately appears to continue in the state.

Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot said people have given their mandate to the Congress and it will get clear majority in the state and form government. “Congress will form government. This is the mandate of public, which is in favour of the Congress party. We will get clear majority and will also take along other parties or candidates who quit BJP for us,” Gehlot told reporters here.

The polls are seen as a major test of the popularity of the BJP and the Congress which has been trying to bring all opposition parties under one roof ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

In 2013, the BJP had won 163 seats in Rajasthan while the Congress secured 21 seats only.