Jaipur, Dec 8: Inflicting a crushing defeat on ruling Congress, BJP on Sunday got an absolute majority in the 200-member Rajasthan Assembly, winning 121 out of 145 seats results for which have been declared so far.
Election officials said that till 1600 hours BJP won 121 seats, Congress 14, Independents 5, while other parties and NPP got 2 each. BSP has won from one seat.
State BJP president and party's chief ministerial candidate Vasundhara Raje won from Jhalarpatan defeating Congress candidate Meenakshi Chandrawat with a margin of 60,896.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot won Sardarpura seat by defeating his nearest rival Shambhusingh Khetasar of BJP by a margin of 18,478 votes.
Earlier, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was leading in 83 out of the 199 seats which went to polls, while its candidates won in 73 constituencies in the results declared by Sunday afternoon.
State BJP president Vasundhara Raje was declared winner in Jhalrapatan, while Leader of Opposition Gulab Chand Kataria registered a decisive victory in Udaipur.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot was leading in his home constituency Sardarpura in Jodhpur, even as his government was decimated.
The BJP's strong return in the State and the defeat of Congress was beyond the expectation of political observers and defied all political calculations. Congress was ahead in 15 constituencies and had won nine seats in the results available by the afternoon.
Prominent among the Congress leaders who were trounced in the polls were Ministers Shanti Dhariwal (Kota North), Hemaram Chaudhary (Gudhamalani), Aimduddin Ahmed Khan (Tijara), Bina Kak (Sumerpur) and Naseem Akhtar Insaaf (Pushkar), while Finance Commission Chairman B. D. Kalla lost the Bikaner seat.
The National People's Party brought to the State by Dausa MP Kirorilal Meena also depicted a lead in five constituencies, which included Lalsot, where Mr. Meena himself is contesting, and Mahuwa, where her wife and former Minister in the Ashok Gehlot government Golma Devi is the party candidate.
Bahujan Samaj Party was leading at three seats.
With the results in the party's favour coming in, BJP activists started celebrations at the State headquarters and burst firecrackers. The Pradesh Congress Committee headquarter, on the other hand, wore a forlorn look.
Mr. Gehlot attributed the defeat of Congress to “negative campaign” by BJP and said the ruling party had failed to convince the voters about the development it had carried out in the State. He said Ms. Raje had sought votes in the name of BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and tried to create a wave in his favour.
Speaking to journalists, Mr. Gehlot said the people had voted on the basis of an undercurrent, which could not be countered. “Our welfare schemes provided real benefits to the people. The BJP could not compare the works in its previous rule with our achievements. It [only] created an incorrect impression among the voters.”
Mr. Gehlot has sought an appointment with Governor Margaret Alva at Raj Bhavan, where he is likely to submit his resignation.
Ms. Raje, who was in Banswara to worship at the historic Tripura Sundari temple, was scheduled to return to Jaipur in the evening.
She thanked the people of the State for giving a decisive mandate in favour of BJP and said Mr. Modi was an “important factor” responsible for the party's impressive show in the State.
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