Will back Congress in Rajasthan: BTP founder Chhotu Vasava

“The responsible Congress leader asked me to give support, if need arises. I told him ‘okay’. We will only support the party that includes our MLAs in the government, and that party should work for tribal rights and tribal issues. If need arises, the responsible leader of the Congress will call again for a meeting, and we will then put forth our certain conditions for forming the government in Rajasthan,” he said without revealing the name of the Congress leader who spoke to him.

The Congress has won 99 seats, just two short of a majority in the 200-member Rajasthan Assembly.

Chhotu Vasava, who had quit the JD(U) to form the BTP last year, had contested six seats in last year’s Gujarat Assembly election in alliance with the Congress. The BTP had won two seats — Chhotu Vasava from Jhagadia, and his son, Mahesh Vasava, from Dediyapada.

In the three states that went to polls in November and December, the BTP had fielded 11 candidates in Rajasthan, four in Madhya Pradesh and five in Chhattisgarh. While the party did not win any seat in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, it managed to win two, Chorasi and Sagwara — both bordering north Gujarat and ST reserved seats of Rajasthan.

In Chorasi, BTP’s Rajkumar Roat defeated BJP’s Sushil Katara by nearly 13,000 votes. The Congress came third.

In Sagwara, BTP’s Ramprasad won by over 4,500 votes, defeating his nearest BJP rival Shankarlal. This will be the first time that the BTP will be making its debut in Rajasthan Assembly.

“We have worked hard, and I and my father held 10 public meetings in Rajasthan and five each in Chhattisgarh and MP. We have got well-trained team in all the three states. Our team will visit Rajasthan and meet our candidates and take out rallies. We thank voters who voted for BTP. We will ensure that in the coming days our MLAs solve all the issues of voters in their areas,” BTP president Mahesh Vasava said.