Rajasthan Assembly elections 2018 LIVE results: Most of the exit polls predicted a comfortable win for Congress in Rajasthan with the grand old party marching towards a majority mark. The BJP is battling strong anti-incumbency in Rajasthan, a state that has not voted the ruling party for a second term in the last 20 years.
Congress eyes comeback in Rajasthan
The elections are crucial for the Congress party as well as it seeks to leave behind a series of defeats since the 2014 Lok Sabha elections when the BJP rose to power at the Centre. If the Congress wins the state polls, as exit polls were predicting on Friday evening, Ashok Gehlot is tipped for the chief minister's post. So is state party chief Sachin Pilot. Before the media on Friday, both sidestepped queries on who among them will end up with the responsibility, but predicted a party victory.
Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot defeated BJP's Shambhu Singh by over 45,000 votes in Sardarpura.
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Several rebel Congress candidates who won as Independents in the Rajasthan Assembly polls may help the party to form the next government in the desert state. Though the Rahul Gandhi-led party is surging ahead, it may still need support and a post-poll alliance if it fails to win the mandatory 100 seats, to form the government.
As of now, Congress has won 96 seats and is leading on 3 seats, taking its probable tally to 99 out of the 199 seats which went to polls.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has so far won 71 seats and is leading on two seats, while 11 independents have won and two are leading. Six BSP, two CPM and six other party candidates have also won the elections.
According to latest trends, Congress won 85 seats and is leading in 14 constituencies bringing the tally to 99. The Congress needs at least 101 seats to form a government.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on Tuesday night handed over her resignation to Governor Kalyan Singh in Jaipur.
Addressing a press conference, outgoing Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje thanked everyone for supporting her so far. She also said that she will continue to fight for people and raise people's demand in the Vidhan Sabha.
"I would like to congratulate Congress. I accept this mandate by the people. BJP has worked a lot for them in these 5 years, I hope the next party takes those policies and works forward," Raje said.
As many as 13 of 19 ministers in the outgoing Vasundhara Raje government have lost the Assembly elections in Rajasthan as results and trends brought electoral reverses for the ruling BJP.
Among the ministers who lost the elections are: Agriculture Minister Prabhu Lal Saini (Anta), Food & Civil Supply Minister Baboo Lal Verma (Baran-Atru), Revenue Minister Amra Ram (Pachpadra), Tourism Minister Krishnendra Kaur (Nadbai), Housing and Urban Development Minister Srichand Kriplani (Nimahera).
Also among those who lost are Water Resources Minister Rampratap (Hanumangarh), Social Justice Minister Arun Chaturvedi (Civil Lines), Industries Minister Rajpal Singh (Jhotwara), Cooperative Minister Ajay Singh (Degana), Gaupalan Minister Otaram Devasi (Sirohi) and Transport Minister Yoonus Khan (Tonk).
PHED Minister Surendra Goyal (Jaitaran) and Devsthan Minister Rajkumar Rinwa (Ratangarh) had turned rebel after the BJP denied them ticket and they contested the elections as Independents. Both have lost their respective seats.
Congress leader Rooparam defeated BJP's Sangsingh by a remarkable margin while in Jhunjhunu, Brijendra Singh Ola defeated BJP's Rajendra Singh Bhamboo by over 40,000 votes.
Update from Bikaner
In East, BJP's Siddhi Kumari won by over 7,000 votes defeating Congress leader Kanhaiya Lal Jhanwar. In West, BJP's Gopal Krishn lost to Congress leader Bulaki Das Kalia.
Adressing a press conference in Delhi, Congress Chief Rahul Gandhi said, " this is a victory of Congress workers, small traders, farmers. This is a big responsibility for Congress party and we will work on this.
"We are going to provide these states a vision. We are going to provide these states a govt that they can be proud of," he added.
In a major feat, Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria won for the eighth term on Tuesday. Kataria, 74, defeated Congress's Girija Vyas by 9,307 votes in Udaipur assembly seat. He has held various political portfolios under BJP governments and also served as the party state president.
Meanwhile, in Telangana, K Chandrashekhar Rao’s Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has swept the state. For the BJP, more than losing the election, the fact that these numbers put its dream to enter southern India on hold should be of greater concern. [bc_video video_id="5978028620001" account_id="5798671093001" player_id="rJYNWzcQ7"]
Congress president Rahul Gandhi will take the final call Wednesday on who will be the chief minister in Rajasthan after taking in account the opinion of the newly elected MLAs, a senior party leader said.
Senior party leader Ashok Gehlot and Pradesh Congress Committee president Sachin Pilot are the contenders for the coveted post.
"Congress legislature party (CLP) meeting will be held at 11 am on Wednesday in which the elected MLAs of the party will pass a resolution. The observer will seek individual opinion of the MLAs," AICC general secretary Avinash Pande said.
Rajasthan: Ashok Gehlot, Sachin Pilot and Congress leaders in Jaipur. Congress party has won 64 seats in the state and is leading on 34 seats so far.
Even though Vasundhara Raje who is usually called 'Maharani' won her seat Jhalrapatan with a handsome margin but her party appeared headed for a loss to the Congress on Tuesday. As results came in and her party's defeat seemed imminent, she visited the BJP headquarters in Delhi but did not make a comment. This was her second term as chief minister and, in keeping with the tradition of voters choosing the Congress and the BJP alternately, the ruling party looks set to lose power.
Raje, the daughter of Jivaji Rao Scindia, the last reigning Maharaja of Gwalior, and Vijayaraje Scindia, a prominent BJP leader, ruled Rajasthan as chief minister from 2003-2008 and from 2013-2018 and was leader of opposition from 2008 to 2013.
After drawing a blank in the last election in Rajasthan, the CPI(M) is all set to win two seats, both of which were held by the BJP. The Left party's Balwan Poonia is leading with 73,725 votes in Bhadra constituency of Hanumangarh district. His nearest rival is BJP's Sanjeev Kumar. In Shree Dungargarh constituency of Bikaner district, the CPI(M)'s Giridharilal Mahiya is leading with 72,361 votes.
In the 2013 elections, the CPI(M) or the Communist Party of India (Marxist) had failed to win any seat. It won three in 2008 elections.
The CPI(M)'s Rajasthan in-charge Hannan Mollah said the trend of election results in the three Hindi-heartland states has ended the myth of the BJP's invincibility.
The Congress is likely to go for a post-poll alliance in Rajasthan, where it is approaching towards a majority mark, former chief minister Ashok Gehlot said on Tuesday. Gehlot indicated towards assembling an alliance by taking along willing parties and the candidates who have parted ways with the BJP. The Congress has contested the assembly elections with a pre-poll alliance on a total of five seats -- Mundawar and Kushalgarh (with Loktantrik Janta Dal (LJD); Bharatpur and Malpura (with Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD); and Bali (with NCP).
A minimum of 101 seats is needed to form a government in the House of 200 in the desert state
Source: PTI
Rajasthan's Water Resources Minister Ram Pratap and BJP leader Rampratap has lost the Hanumangarh seat to Congress candidate Vinod Kumar with a margin of 15,522 votes while Gaupalan Minister Otaram lost the Sirohi seat to independent candidate Sanyam Lodha with a margin of 10,253 votes. Lodha is a Congress rebel.
Congress party chief Sachin Pilot Saturday won from Tonk constituency defeating BJP’s Yoonus Khan by 54,179 votes. This is Mr Pilot's first assembly election. He has been a two-time parliamentarian.
According to trends, Congress has won three seats while BJP won four seats in Rajasthan assembly polls. BJP candidate and Rajasthan Revenue Minister Amra Ram lost Pachpadra seat to Congress candidate Madan Prajapat by a margin of 2,395 seats
Congress candidates Johri Lal (Rajgarh-Laxmangarh) and Zahida (Kaman) also won while BJP's Santosh Bawri (Anupgarh), Kaluram (Dug), Samaram (Pindwara), Jagsiram (Reodar) won.
After 15th round of counting, Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot is leading on Sardarpura constituency with a margin of 37,470.
Congress leader Sachin Pilot winning from Tonk constituency by over 50,000 votes. BJP leader Vasundhara Raje is also winning from her Jhalrapatan constituency by over 32,000 votes.
Reaching a close majority in Rajasthan, Congress leaders say trends are an indication of things to come. Senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot said, "We are confident that the Congress will get a clear majority and will form the government in Rajasthan,"
Gehlot also credited Gandhi with the party's good performance in all the five states, saying he raised issues concerning the public on which the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not have any answers.
As votes were counted, Shiv Sena Tuesday said the outcome of the elections in the five states is a clear message to the BJP and there is a need for the ruling coalition to introspect. Shiv Sena spokesperson and the party's Rajya Sabha lawmaker Sanjay Raut said the trends reflect that the BJP's victory chariot has been halted. "This is a clear message and it is the time for us to introspect," Raut told reporters in Parliament Complex.
Asked about who will be the chief minister, Sachin Pilot said Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and the party's MLAs will decide on it. Asserting that it is a decisive day today, Pilot recalled that exactly a year ago Gandhi became the chief of the party. "What could be a better gift to him than victory in these states," Pilot said. Later, Pilot said that while he was confident that the Congress would get a clear majority in Rajasthan, he was in touch will all like-minded parties and Independent candidates who are leading in the trends.
Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot Tuesday exuded confidence that the party will form the government in the state and Rahul Gandhi as well as the party's MLAs will decide on who will be the chief minister. He said the Congress was marching towards victory in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh and the trend would continue in the future in the rest of India. "People have blessed us. We should get a comfortable majority in Rajasthan," Pilot said.
The IndianExpress.com has a LIVE data map of the results coming in from Rajasthan as well as constituency-wise data.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi reaches Sonia Gandhi's residence, 10 Janpath.
Sachin Pilot says, "We are moving towards a full majority and I am sure it will be clear once final numbers are in, but still we welcome all like-minded and anti-BJP parties to support us and we are in touch."
Reacting to election trends, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Tuesday said the BJP was nowhere in the "semi-final" ahead of the "final match" in 2019 and people were always the "man of the match" in a democracy. "People voted against BJP. This is the people's verdict and victory of the people of this country. Victory of democracy and victory against injustice, atrocities, destruction of institutions, misuse of agencies, no work for poor people, farmers, youth, Dalits, C, ST, OBC, minorities and general caste," she said in a series of tweets.
The Congress was leading in the BJP-ruled states of Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh and was locked in a close fight in Madhya Pradesh while the TRS forged ahead in Telangana and the MNF in Mizoram, trends indicated on Tuesday as votes for elections in the five states were counted.
Congress leader Ashok Gehlot enjoys a tea at his residence on Tuesday.
Congress's Sachin Pilot in talks with 8 independents in Rajasthan.
Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot said, "Our victory is a gift to Congress president Rahul Gandhi. Trends make it clear that Congress is forming the government in Rajasthan with a full majority, we had 21 seats last time. We should wait for the final numbers. Congress leadership and MLAs will decide who will get what role."
Congress leader Ashok Gehlot reiterated that the Congress will form government in Rajasthan and that it was all the hardwork of Congress president Rahul Gandhi. He refused to comment on whether he would be the next chief minister of the state. He said, "Don't worry. Congress will form the government in Rajasthan for sure." He also said that Congress president Rahul Gandhi will decide on who will be the Chief Minister.
Ministers who are trailing are -- Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria (Udaipur), Transport Minister Yoonus Khan (Tonk), Social Justice Minister Arun Chaturvedi (Civil Lines), Water Resources Minister Rampratap (Hanumangarh), Agriculture Minister Prabhu Lal Saini (Anta), UDH Minister Srichand Kriplani (Nimahera), Gaupalan Minister Otaram Devasi (Sirohi seat), Health Minister Kalicharan (Malvia Nagar), Cooperative Minister Ajay Singh (Degana), Mines Minister Surendra Pal Singh (Karanpura), Higher Education Minister Kiran Maheshwari (Rajsamand) and Industry Minister Rajpal Singh (Jhotwara).
As per the latest trends, Congress is leading on 91 seats, BJP leading on 71 seats, others on 22 seats in Rajasthan.
According to the latest Official ECI trends, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje is leading by 8,845 votes from Jhalrapatan. Congress' Ashok Gehlot is leading by 5,112 votes from Sardarpura and Congress' Sachin Pilot is leading by 5295 votes from Tonk.
Congress candidate and former DGP Harish Meena trails by 1,779 votes in Deoli-Uniara seat of Rajasthan. Former CM and Cong candidate Ashok Gehlot leading with a margin of 5,112 votes in Rajasthan's Sardarpura. Rajasthan Assembly Speaker Kailash Meghwal leads by 3,411 votes in Bhilwara's Shahpura seat.
Rajasthan Water Resource Minister Rampratap trailing by a margin of 658 votes in Hanumangarh seat. Rajasthan's UDH Minister Srichand Kriplani trails by 321 votes in Nimahera constituency. Rajasthan's Health Minister Kalicharan trailing by 117 votes in Malviya Nagar seat. Rajasthan's Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria trailing in Udaipur seat with a margin of 330 votes. Rajasthan Environment Minister Gajendra Singh trailing by a margin of 1,375 votes in Lohawat. Rajasthan's Cooperative Minister Ajay Singh trailing by a margin of 1,311 votes in Degana seat.
A look at the trends of the other four states. In Madhya Pradesh, the Congress is leading in 101 and the BJP is leading in 88. In Chhattisgarh, the Congress is leading in 52 while the BJP is leading in 25 and in Mizoram, the MNF is leading in 22 and the Congress in 10. In Telangana, the TRS is leading in 82 while the Congress is leading in 25.
Rajasthan's Social Justice Minister Arun Chaturvedi trailing by a margin of 2,467 votes in the civil lines constituency in Jaipur.
Congress candidate and Commonwealth gold medallist Krishna Poonia leading in Rajasthan's Sadulpur constituency with a margin of 646 votes in first round of counting.
Recap: Counting of votes to elect a new Assembly in Rajasthan began Tuesday morning amid tight security. CCTV cameras have been installed at nearly 40 counting centres. According to the Election Commission, counting is underway for 199 seats out of 200 assembly constituencies, the election for which were held on December 7. As many as 35 centres have been set up in the state. Except for Jaipur and Jodhpur where there are two counting centres and each district has one centre. The BJP and Congress are the main political parties in the state. The election in Alwar's Ramgarh constituency was postponed due to the death of the Bahujan Samaj Party candidate Laxman Singh and next date of the election will be notified later.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje is leading by 4,055 votes from Jhalrapatan. Congress candidate Manvendra Singh trailing. Congress' Ashok Gehlot is leading by 5,112 votes from Sardarpura. Sachin Pilot is also leading from Tonk.
In September 2017, a farmers agitation started out in the Shekhawat region of Rajasthan. The 13-day long movement gave rise to a slogan that large parts of the state would soon catch on to, ahead of the Assembly elections. “Modi tujh se bair nahin, Vasundhara teri khair nahin (no enemity with Modi and no regard for Vasundhara),” has been travelling across the state heightening tensions about the fate of the BJP’s incumbent chief minister. The upcoming elections are crucial for setting public image in a state that is currently torn between support for her and that for her party. Read More
Rajasthan recorded a tentative turnout of 74.05 per cent in the Assembly polls on Friday as voting continued even after the 5 pm deadline. Despite steady voting, voters complained that the election process was slow, while poll officials attributed it to the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT). This was the first election in the state where VVPATs were used along with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) at all polling stations. There were several reports of EVM snags, with the Congress claiming to have received complaints regarding EVMs from at least 460 locations across the state. Congress said 400 of these complaints were regarding EVMs not starting, failure of VVPATs and power failures.
The assembly election in Rajasthan was held on December 7 with a turn out of 73.85 per cent. All eyes are now set on the results today. The electoral campaign saw stalwarts from both BJP and the Congress campaigning in the state with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress chief Rahul Gandhi addressing several rallies across the state. You can check the results for the Rajasthan assembly election on the website of the Election Commission of India, eciresults.nic.in . The Commission will provide the option to check results under several categories – party-wise, constituency-wise and candidate wise. The results for the state election will also be declared on the website of State Election Commission of Rajasthan at sec.rajasthan.gov.in.