Rajasthan, Telangana set for Assembly polls tomorrow after high-voltage campaign

Rajasthan and Telangana will vote on Friday to elect new assemblies in a high-stakes battle, the results of which along with those in three other states will decide to which way the wind is blowing ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi | PTI (File)

NEW DELHI: Rajasthan and Telangana will vote on Friday to elect new assemblies in a high-stakes battle, the results of which along with those in three other states will decide to which way the wind is blowing ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP and the Congress are locked in a tough fight in Rajasthan, which has not voted the same party to power for more than one term in the last 20 years, while in Telangana the ruling TRS is facing a resurgent Congress-led People's Front in its bid for a second term. In Rajasthan, the contest is largely bipolar between the BJP and Congress in about 130 seats. At about 50 other seats, rebel candidates from both major parties are in the fray, refusing to step down in favour of the official nominees. The BJP is fighting anti-incumbency to retain power in the desert state, which has a tradition of alternating between Congress and BJP every five years. Both parties promised an unemployment allowance to the educated youth. The Congress promised a loan waiver for farmers. There are 830 independent candidates. The BJP is contesting on all seats while the Congress has left five seats for its allies. The BSP fielded 190 candidates, the CPI (M) 28 and CPI 16. In the current House, the BJP has 160 seats and the Congress 25. The assembly polls in Telangana were originally scheduled to be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections next year, but the House was dissolved on September 6 as per a recommendation of the state cabinet. It is to be seen if TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao's gamble to opt for early elections pays off. The Congress has stitched together the 'Prajakutami' (People's Front) along with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the Telangana Jana Samiti (TJS) and the Communist Party of India (CPI), to take on the ruling TRS. The TRS, seeking a second term in office, is going alone, as also the BJP. While KCR was without doubt the star campaigner for the TRS, the Congress and the BJP fielded their bigwigs for the campaign. For the Congress, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and the party President Rahul Gandhi addressed election rallies and the BJP relied on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the party president Amit Shah. Rahul Gandhi also addressed a joint meetings with TDP chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. The BJP, which won five seats in alliance with the TDP in the last elections in 2014, said it ensured that there was a triangular fight in Telangana this time. Tight security has been made in both the states and the results will be declared on December 11 along with those of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram. (With inputs from agencies)