(This copy has been updated to reflect the change in polling date from November 23 to 25)
Rajasthan Election 2023 Dates: The voting for Rajasthan Assembly elections 2023 will be held on November 25 and votes will be counted on December 3. The election will be held in a singe phase, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Monday.
With the poll schedule announcement, the model code of conduct (MCC) comes into effect from Monday. Rajasthan, which has seen a 'revolving door trend since 1998, will see a direct fight between BJP and Congress, where the saffron party will hope to unseat the Ashok Gehlot-led government by riding on the anti-incumbency wave.
The outcome in Rajasthan, which goes to polls along with Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Mizoram and Madhya Pradesh, will be a bellwether for what lies in store ahead of the general elections in 2024.
Following is the poll schedule announced for Rajasthan Election 2023:
Date of notification: October 30
Last date for filing nomination: November 6
Scrutiny of nomination: November 7
Last date for withdrawal of nomination: November 9
Date of voting: November 25 (Saturday)
Date of counting of votes (result): December 3
In the 200-member Rajasthan Assembly, Congress has 108 members and BJP has 70. In the previous assembly election in December 2018, Congress emerged as the single-largest party with 100 seats, falling short by one seat to secure the majority mark. It formed the government with support from BSP and independents.
While both BJP and Congress have been beset by factionalism within their parties, Congress will heave a sigh a relief with Sachin Pilot burying the hatchet with Gehlot. In June, Congress announced that the warring leaders would unitedly fight the Assembly election after the party leadership held seperate meetings with Pilot and Gehlot in Delhi.
The development came after Pilot launched an agitation against the Ashok Gehlot-led government over alleged inaction on charges of corruption levelled by him against the previous Vasundhara Raje-led BJP dispensation.
On the other hand, BJP is also plagued by inflighting between factions led by former chief minister Vasundhara Raje and Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
The importance of Rajasthan to BJP can be gauged by the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited the state more than 10 times in the past one year. The BJP's campaign has focused on women's reservation, law and order and crimes against women.
In his rallies, PM Modi has hit out at the PM Modi Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government over paper leak mafia, corruption and atrocities against Dalits.
The PM has also raked up the issue of the "red diary", which was referred to by former minister Rajendra Gudha. Gudha, who leter joined Shiv Sena, claimed he had a "red diary" containing details of financial irregularities involving Chief Minister Gehlot and others.
Meanwhile, Congress will depend on returning to power on the basis of its welfare schemes. The Gehlot government has also issued orders for conducting a caste survey within the state following the footsteps of Bihar.
Welfare schemes like the Chiranjeevi Health Insurance Scheme (which offers coverage of up to Rs.25 lakh), enhancement of old-age pension, gas cylinder subsidy, free electricity up to 100 units, revival of the Old Pension Scheme, and the scheme to provide free mobile phones to young women have been a hit among the people.