The BJP is all set for a thumping victory in Rajasthan, ending five years of the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress rule in India's desert state.
Bharatiya Janata Party sources told IANS that the party has already started making preparations for the oath-taking ceremony of Vasundhara Raje as the chief minister. "She is likely to take oath in the next two or three days at Janpath, in front of the state assembly in Jaipur," a party source said.
BJP candidates were declared elected in 125 of Rajasthan's 199 constituencies, and were leading in 34 others at 4.30 pm. Election in one constituency, Churu, was countermanded due to the death of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate Jagdish Meghwal. The poll is now slated for Dec 13. The ruling Congress won just 14 seats, and was leading in only eight other constituencies.
The BSP won two seats and was leading on one more seat, and candidates of the National People's Party (NPP) were declared elected on two seats and were leading on three more seats.
Prominent BJP leaders who won include chief ministerial candidate Vasundhara Raje and Leader of Opposition Gulab Chand Kataria. Raje was declared elected from Jhalrapatan constituency. She defeated her nearest rival from the Congress, Meenakshi Chandrawat, by over 60,000 votes.
The biggest win was recorded by Ghanshyam Tiwari of the BJP who defeated his nearest Congress rival by a margin of over 62,000 votes.
Vasundhara Raje, who is also the BJP state president, said: "I was confident that we will win. It is a vote against the Congress party's poor governance in the state. I thank Narendra Modi (BJP prime ministerial candidate) and Rajnath Singh (party president) for touring the state extensively and holding rallies."
The Congress, which won 102 seats in the last elections in 2008, recorded one of its worst defeats in the state.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot of the Congress was declared elected from Sardarpura constituency. He defeated his BJP rival Shambhu Singh Khetasar by over 18,000 votes.
Among the candidates who lost the elections were senior Congress leader BD Kalla, Tourism Minister Bina Kak, Medical and Health Minister AA Khan, Urban Development Minister Shanti Kumar Dhariwal and Industries Minister Rajendra Pareek. "We accept the people's mandate. My government in the state worked for the welfare of all. We launched various social welfare schemes too. There is no point in getting depressed. One party wins, another loses," Gehlot said.
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