Rajasthan Polls: BJP, Congress Attempt To Woo Smaller Parties, Independents Ahead Of Counting

After being refused tickets, around 40 dissidents from both parties contested elections and fought hard.

Representational Image.

On the eve of the vote count in Rajasthan, the BJP and Congress have begun reaching out to independent candidates, including rebels, and minor parties, news agency PTI reported. After being refused tickets, around 40 dissidents from both parties contested elections and fought hard. With most exit polls suggesting a close contest between the BJP and the Congress, MLAs from this group might be essential. According to sources inside the two parties, preparations are being taken at various levels to guarantee that independent and rebel candidates who win elections be brought into their fold in the event of a split judgement.

On Thursday, just after exit poll forecasts were revealed, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot met with Governor Kalraj Mishra.

Former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje also met with the governor on Friday.

While most pollsters projected a BJP victory, three exit polls predicted a Congress victory in the desert state.

“The party leaders are in touch with the independents and rebels,” a Congress source was quoted by PTI in its report. 

Similarly, sources in the BJP indicated senior leaders were addressing party dissidents who ran as independents in elections.

Apart from the rebels, the parties are looking at post-election coalitions with minor parties if necessary.

Among the parties fighting elections in the state are the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP), the Bhartiya Tribal Party (BTP), the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP), and the CPI (M).

While the BJP has not made any pre-election alliances, the Congress has reserved one seat (Bharatpur) for its ally, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD).

Some of the BJP rebels are Ravindra Singh Bhati (Sheo), Chandrabhan Singh Aakya (Chittorgarh), Yoonus Khan (Deedwana), Kailash Meghwal (Shahpura), Asha Meena (Sawai Madhopur), Ashu Singh Surpura (Jhotwara),  Rohitashv Sharma (Bansur) while Virendra Beniwal (Lunkaransar), Gopal Baheti (Pushkar), Ramchandra Saradhana (Virat Nagar) are among other Congress rebels.

In the 2018 assembly elections, Congress won 99 of the 199 seats up for grabs, becoming the government, while its ally RLD also won one.

The Congress later won the one seat (Ramgarh) when elections were conducted after the BSP candidate died.

All six BSP MLAs switched to the Congress in September 2019.