Rajasthan Election 2023: Voting for assembly elections in Rajasthan has begun during which the fate of BJP and Congress will get locked in the EVMs after weeks of campaigning that saw massive attacks by the leaders of both parties, big promises and complaints to the Election Commission of India (ECI). The results be announced on December 3.
This time, there is a very close contest between the BJP and Congress in Rajasthan and that is why the many big leaders of the BJP, including PM Narendra Modi campaigned with full might in the state. At the same time, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and other big leaders campaigned for Congress.
Here's a look at the key candidates in the fray.
Ashok Gehlot
Veteran Congress leader and current CM Ashok Gehlot has been representing the Sardarpura constituency of Jodhpur since 1999. This is his third term as Chief Minister. BJP has fielded Dr. Mahendra Singh Rathore against Gehlot. In 2018, Gehlot defeated BJP's Shambhu Singh by a margin of 45,597 votes.
Sachin Pilot
Another key leader, Sachin Pilot is a sitting MLA from the Tonk constituency. This time, he is contesting against BJP's Ajit Singh Mehta. In 2018, Pilot defeated BJP's Yunus Khan by a margin of 54,179 votes.
Govind Singh Dotasara
Dotasara, the current president of the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee, has been winning from Laxmangarh constituency since 2008. In 2018, Dotasara defeated BJP's Dinesh Joshi by a margin of 22,052 votes. This time he is facing BJP's Subhash Mehriya.
Vasundhara Raje
Senior BJP leader and two-time Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Vasundhara Raje has remained undefeated from the Jhalrapatan constituency since 2003. Earlier, she represented the Dholpur constituency. This time, Raje will face Congress's Ramlal Chauhan. In 2018, she defeated Congress's Manvendra Singh by a margin of 34,980 votes.
Rajendra Gudha
Rajends Singh Gudha, who won the elections from Udaipurwati on BSP ticket in 2008 and 2018, joined Congress a few months after the 2018 results. After this, he also remained a minister in the Gehlot government but was later dismissed a few months ago which after which he accused the Gehlot government of corruption as well. Rajendra Singh Gudha, while waving the red diary in the Assembly, had said that it contained complete information about Ashok Gehlot's corruption. A few days ago, he had joined Shiv Sena Eknath Shinde faction.
Govind Ram Meghwal
Dalit leader and Rajasthan minister Govind Ram Meghwal is again in the election fray from Khajuwala seat. BJP has fielded Dr. Vishwanath Meghwal in front of him.
Hanuman Beniwal
Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) chief and MP Hanuman Beniwal is contesting from the Khinvsar seat located in Nagaur, a Jat stronghold.