Rajasthan is holding elections on Saturday to choose its 200-member state legislative assembly representatives. While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seeks to overthrow the established party and continue the state’s five-year party rotation history, the Congress hopes to hold onto power.
The BJP accused the incumbent party of corruption, law and order problems in the state, and internal infighting within the Congress, while the Congress focused on showcasing the social programs and progress achievements of the Ashok Gehlot government during the heated campaign. In the Congress manifesto, the Rajasthani people were promised ‘seven assurances’, which included an annual stipend of Rs 10,000 for the female heads of families and a caste survey.
Promises made by Congress
Among the promises made by the Congress to the voters are the following: free laptops and tablets for students; an increase in the Chiranjeevi health insurance scheme to Rs 50 lakh; LPG cylinders at Rs 500; the purchase of cow dung at Rs 2 per kg; the reinstatement of the old pension scheme for government employees; and Rs 15 lakh per family as compensation for natural calamities.
Promises made by BJP
A host of welfare initiatives for women, students, and farmers have also been pledged by the BJP. These include raising the wheat minimum support price, paying for land acquisition, setting up anti-Romeo squads, offering savings bonds of Rs. 2 lakh to families with daughters, providing free scooters to deserving students, and raising the LPG gas subsidy to Rs. 950.
During the campaign, state-wide rallies were conducted by national leaders of the Congress and BJP. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah spearheaded the BJP campaign, national president Mallikarjun Kharge, party leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Gehlot, and others campaigned throughout the state for the Congress. Despite Rajasthan having 200 assembly seats, polling will only be conducted in 199 of them because the Congress candidate’s death has caused the election in the Karanpur constituency to be postponed.
Rajasthan has 1862 candidates in all, and there are 5, 25, 38, 105 voters. The state assembly currently has 107 MLAs from the Congress party, 70 from the BJP, 3 from the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP), 2 from each of the Bhartiya Tribal Party (BTP) and the Communist Party of India (M), 1 from Rashtriya Lok Dal, and 13 independents. There are two open seats.
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