The exit poll predictions on Friday have left the Congress jubilant as it is expected to topple the Vasundhara Raje government in one of the most-anticipated state polls in recent memory.

In the 200-member Rajasthan Assembly, over 2,000 candidates are fighting for 199 assembly seats, where polling held on Friday in a high decibel battle between the incumbent BJP and Opposition Congress. The crucial elections will determine whether the BJP bucks anti-incumbency and an increasingly aggressive Opposition to return to power.

Rajasthan had a single phase polling on December 7 for its 200-member assembly while its counting of votes will take place on December 11. BJP is contesting election under leadership of chief minister Vasundhara Raje.

Speaking of the Congress, Ashok Gehlot, a two-time former chief minister of Rajasthan, and Jyotiraditya Scindia, a young and promising MP from the Scindia family that once ruled in Gwalior, are two popular faces for the chief ministerial candidate.

Tradition of changing governments every election

Will voters of Rajasthan budge the trend of alternating power between the Congress and the BJP every five years? Since 1998, Rajasthan has alternated between the Congress and the BJP. Neither party has been able to retain power for consecutive terms. It would be interesting to see if the BJP may defy tradition and CM Vasundhara Raje will break the cycle and win a second term, or the Congress will regain lost ground in the 200-member assembly.

What do exit polls say?

As Rajasthan inches closer to the result day, an aggregate of ten opinion polls seem to indicate that the Congress is set to shock the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and is expected a massive sweep in the Rajasthan Assembly election.

According to India Today-Axis My India exit poll, the Congress is projected to win 119-141 seats, comfortably above the halfway mark required to form government, of the 200 seats up for grabs in Rajasthan. The exit polls predict that the BJP will get only 55-72 seats, while Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) will get 1-3 seats and others will get 3-8 seats.

ABP News-CSDS-led exit poll predicted that the Congress will hover around 100 mark, while and the BJP will win five seats and others will get 15 seats.

Meanwhile, India TV-CNX report predicted 80-90 seats for BJP, 100-110 seats to Congress, 1-3 seats for BSP and 6-8 seats to others.

Edited by Chitranjan Kumar