The Election Commission has announced that the Rajasthan state election will take place on November 23, with results expected to be declared on December 3. This election holds significant importance for the ruling Congress party, as it precedes the 2024 general election by several months.
The Congress has formed alliances with other opposition forces, uniting under the INDIA bloc, with the aim of presenting a strong challenge to the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Consequently, the assembly elections in five states will serve as a crucial test for opposition parties, examining their coordination and collective strength.
In the 2018 elections, the Congress secured victory in 100 seats, just one short of the majority mark. The BJP suffered substantial losses compared to its 2013 performance, with its seat count dropping from 163 to 73. Ashok Gehlot formed the state government with the support of independent and BSP MLAs. Subsequently, six BSP MLAs switched allegiance to the Congress, solidifying its majority in the assembly.
In 2020, the Ashok Gehlot government faced a significant challenge when then-Deputy Chief Minister and State Congress Chief Sachin Pilot led a rebellion that posed a threat to the government’s stability. Swift intervention by the Congress leadership resolved the crisis. While the Congress aims to present a unified front, internal disputes and power struggles continue to be key challenges as the party prepares for the upcoming elections.
The BJP also grapples with infighting, as rival factions led by former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat vie for prominence. This election marks the first time in approximately two decades that the BJP enters the Rajasthan polls without projecting Vasundhara Raje as its Chief Ministerial candidate.
While Raje’s faction had called for her nomination as the party’s election face, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement clarifying that the lotus symbol represents the BJP in the polls put the matter to rest.
In the run-up to the elections, the BJP has targeted the Ashok Gehlot government over law and order issues in Rajasthan, specifically highlighting crimes against women. In response, the ruling Congress has questioned the BJP’s stance on similar crimes in the states it governs.
