Rajasthan Congress Chief Sachin Pilot and Congress candidate Raghu Sharma flash victory sign after latter’s victory in Ajmer By-poll election, in Ajmer on Thursday. (Source: PTI photo)
In a stunning performance, the Congress Thursday wrested Mandalgarh Assembly seat from BJP with a margin of 12,976 votes and secured a massive win in Ajmer and Alwar parliamentary seats in the Rajasthan bypolls.
In Mandalgarh, BJP’s Shakti Singh Hada was maintaining a lead in the beginning, however, Congress candidate Vivek Dhakad gradually reduced that margin and emerged as the winner after securing 70,146 votes.
In Alwar, Congress candidate Karan Singh Yadav defeated his nearest rival Jaswant Yadav from the BJP by 1.96 lakh votes. Yadav garnered 6,42,416 votes. In 2014, BJP had won here by 2.83 lakh votes
In Ajmer, Congress’ Raghu Sharma defeated BJP’s Ramswaroop Lamba with a margin of 84414 votes. Sharma and Lamba have secured 611514 and 527100 votes respectively.
Considered as a prestige battle for Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, the results have come as a big setback for the ruling BJP, which is battling an anti-incumbency factor ahead of Assembly elections due later this year. Notably, the BJP had won all the 25 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state in the 2014 general elections. Prior to the bypoll, a miffed Rajput community had announced its support for the Congress in all the three seats.
Reflecting on his party’s performance, Rajasthan Congress Chief Sachin Pilot said, “It is emphatic victory that people have registered for Congress. I am thankful to the people of Rajasthan. Beyond Rajasthan also, these election results will have an impact as Jumlebaazi, politics of division and venom isn’t acceptable.”
Pilot said CM Raje should resign on moral grounds. “After failing to appease voters over religion, the BJP tried polarising them over caste…It is a victory of people, party workers and all leaders,” he said at a press conference.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi congratulated party cadres and stated that the verdict was the rejection of the BJP by the people of Rajasthan.
Well done Rajasthan Congress! Proud of each and every one of you. This is a rejection of the BJP by the people of Rajasthan.#RajasthanByPolls
— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) February 1, 2018
The bypolls in all three seats were necessitated after sudden deaths of BJP MP from Ajmer Sanwarlal Jat, MP from Alwar Mahant Chand Nath Yogi and Mandalgarh MLA Kirti Kumari. The party, which wrested power from the Congress in 2013 in Rajasthan, had 161 MLAs in the House of 200.