Rajasthan Assembly Elections 2023: Will Congress retain power or BJP make a comeback?

The Rajasthan Assembly polling for 199 out of 200 seats has already begun at 7 am on Saturday. So, it will be interesting to witness the fierce fight between Congress and the BJP.

Rajasthan is currently holding its state assembly election for 199 seats today. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot of the Congress is seeking a second term for its revolving-door policy even as the BJP banks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity to get a majority.

Rajasthan Assembly Elections 2023: Congress vs BJP

• The Rajasthan Assembly polling for 199 out of 200 seats has already begun at 7 am and will conclude at 6 pm today. The polls in Sriganganagar's Karanpur seat have been suspended because of the death of Congress candidate and incumbent MLA Gurmeet Singh Koonar.

• In 2018 polls, the Congress had fallen just one short of the majority mark by winning 100 seats, while BJP managed to win just 73 seats. The BJP's tally had fallen from an absolute majority of 163 in 2013.

• This time, the polls are being contested by 1,862 candidates and the total number of voters is 5.25 crore. Of these, 1.71 crore voters are between the ages of 18 and 30, and 22.61 lakh are new voters from the 18-19 age group.

• The 2023 Assembly elections in the poll-bound state will witness a fierce fight between the ruling party Congress and the opposition BJP. The Congress is hoping that the magic of Ashok Gehlot, who is known as 'jadugar' (magician), its seven guarantees and welfare measures like the country's first law for gig workers will get it re-elected in the state.

• Notably, the voters in Rajasthan have not given any government a second term since 1993. So, it seems to be luck for the opposition BJP as well. The BJP is banking on this as well as Prime Minister Modi's popularity to return to power. Former chief minister Vasundhara Raje, who is arguably the party's most popular leader in Rajasthan, has not been declared the chief ministerial face. 

• During the election campaign, the BJP has been constantly attacking the Ashok Gehlot-led government on key issues like crime against women, corruption and the alleged paper leak scams. One of the key planks that the BJP has used against Mr Gehlot is the 'Red Diary' which is said to detail irregularities committed by the Chief Minister and was waved in the Assembly by sacked minister Rajendra Gudha.

• The BJP expects recent tensions between Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot and Deputy Sachin Pilot to hamper Congress' prospects, even as the duo downplayed their differences in recent campaigning. The 2020 crisis remains etched in public memory.

• In a display of unity, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot shared Sachin Pilot's video appeal to vote for Congress candidates on his X account, praising the young leader. Gehlot's online endorsement of his former deputy signals the duo have buried internal party tensions.

• Meanwhile, the BJP has nominated seven Rajasthan MPs, including central leaders Rajyavardhan Rathore and Diya Kumari, for the state elections. The move sidelined ex-CM Vasundhara Raje's supporters in the first candidate list, though later inclusions accommodated some loyalists partially appeasing her camp as the party banks on national faces.

• Over 1 lakh security personnel have been mobilised across the poll-bound Rajasthan to enable peaceful single-phase voting on Saturday, with ballot counting slated for December 3.

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