Rajasthan results: Mood swings on a December Tuesday

The Congress has made inroads into BJP’s bastion—Jaipur city. Of the nine assembly seats in the city, the Congress emerged victorious in five. The saffron party, which had won eight seats in 2013, could win four this time.

Congress district president Pratap Singh Khachariyawas registered a thumping victory from Civil Lines constituency by defeating BJP rival and outgoing social justice minister Arun Chaturvedi by 18,078 votes. Having lost the seat to Chaturvedi in 2013, Khachariyawas has come back with a vengeance. The Civil Lines seat is considered a RSS stronghold.

Former BJP state president Ashok Parnami was defeated in Adarsh Nagar seat. Parnami, who was relaying on Sindhi-Punjabi votes, was defeated by Rafiq Khan of Congress by 12,553 votes. UP CM Yogi Adityanath holding a rally in the constituency.

Another BJP heavyweight, cabinet minister Rajpal Singh Shekhawat faced defeat by 10,747 votes from Jhotwara. The four-term MLA lost to Congress’ former union minister Lal Chand Kataria. Shekhawat too enjoys RSS backing.

Congress candidate Amin Kagzi defeated BJP’s two-term MLA from Kishanpole, Mohan Lal Gupta. Besides Kishanpole, Congress captured another constituency in the old city. Mahesh Joshi, former Jaipur MP, defeated BJP’s Surendra Pareek from Hawa Mahal. Beginning 1952, this was the third time when a Congress candidate won from Hawa Mahal constituency. Joshi emerged as the warhorse that demolished the BJP bastion by defeating Pareek. Joshi had faced internal fighting in Congress, after the party denied ticket to former minister Brij Kishore Sharma.

BJP managed to retain three seats, including Vidhyadhar Nagar, Malviya Nagar and Sanganer. It wrested another seat, Amber, which was won by NPP in 2013. In a triangular contest, BJP leader and son-in-law of Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Narpat Singh Rajvi defeated Congress debutant Sitaram Agarwal by 31,232 votes.

City mayor Ashok Lahoti won from Sanganer by defeating Congress candidate Pushpendra Bhardwaj by a margin of 35,405 votes. BJP rebel and Bharat Vahini Party founder Ghanshyam Tiwari finished third here.

BJP spokesperson Satish Poonia won convincingly from Amber, defeating Congress candidate Prashant Sharma by 13,276 votes. Six-time MLA, Kali Charan Saraf won by a thin margin, beating Congress candidate Archana Sharma.