Assembly polls in Rajasthan today; Congress, BJP tussle for power
Polling for the highly anticipated assembly election in Rajasthan commenced at 7:00am on Saturday. It is expected to continue till 6:00pm, with around 5.25 crore people voting. The ruling Congress party, which is seeking a second consecutive term, focused its poll campaign primarily on the performance and work of the Ashok Gehlot government. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is hoping to topple the Congress by focusing on issues such as crime against women, corruption, and appeasement politics.
Why does this story matter?
There are 200 assembly seats in Rajasthan, but polling is taking place for 199 seats after a Congress candidate from Sriganganagar's Karanpur seat, Gurmeet Singh Konoor, died due to sepsis. While nearly 5,25,38,105 voters will be casting their votes on Saturday, vote counting is scheduled for December 3. During the 2018 state assembly polls, the Congress emerged as the single-largest party, securing 99 seats.
Muslim vote may be divided in numerous areas
In urban areas, 10,501 polling stations have been set up, while in rural areas, 41,006 stations have been set up. There will be live webcasting at a total of 26,393 polling locations, which will be monitored from the district-level control room. Banks will also remain closed on Saturday. While the Congress and the BJP are the main contenders, the presence of Asaduddin Owaisi's All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) may split the Muslim vote in several areas.
Sardarpura, Tonk: Looking at key constituencies
The Sardarpura seat has been a stronghold of Congress for over three decades, with Gehlot winning from this seat since 1998. The veteran grand old party leader, looking to secure his fourth term as the Rajasthan chief minister, defeated BJP candidate Shambhu Singh in 2018 with 63% votes. Over in Tonk, Congress's Sachin Pilot is up against BJP's Ajit Singh Mehta. Notably, Pilot bagged an impressive victory from this seat last time.
Major BJP strongholds in Rajasthan
In comparison, Jhalrapatan is a saffron brigade bastion, with former state CM Vasundhara Raje winning the seat since 2003. During the 2018 polls, Raje secured 54% of the votes to defeat Congress candidate Manvendra Singh. Another major city in Rajasthan, Udaipur, is a BJP stronghold. While the saffron brigade's Tarachand Jain is contesting from this seat, the Congress has fielded Gourav Vallabh to run for the constituency.
Major talking points leading up to Rajasthan assembly polls
The BJP is confident that Rajasthan residents will vote against the Congress this time. This is due to the numerous scams that occurred during the Congress government, such as the paper leak scam. A total of eight examinations held by the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) from 2019 to 2022 have been canceled over paper leaks. Another major issue is women's safety, with Union Cabinet Minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani labeling the polls as a battle for women's honor.
