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The Congress was close to victory on Tuesday in Rajasthan, where its 95 candidates won and four were leading. The ruling BJP had bagged 73 seats, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) won six, Bhartiya Tribal Party won two, the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party won three and the CPI(M) won two.
12 independents had also won and one was leading, according to the trends given out by the Election Commission.
The Congress Legislature Party in Rajasthan will meet on Wednesday morning to discuss its leader, who will go on to be the chief minister. The two frontrunners are Rajasthan Congress Committee president Sachin Pilot and two-time chief minister Ashok Gehlot.
The final decision is expected to be announced after the observers sent by the All India Congress Committee to the legislators’ meeting in Jaipur return to Delhi and brief Congress chief Rahul Gandhi.
"The Congress Legislature Party meeting will take place tomorrow. AICC general secretary K C Venugopal has arrived for the meeting,” Pilot said Tuesday while counting was still in progress.
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The observer was also expected to meet the two frontrunners individually. In a show of unity, both Gehlot and Pilot – along with other leaders – appeared before the media, flashing the victory sign.
Rajasthan has a 200-member assembly but polling on Alwar's Ramgarh constituency was postponed following the death of the Bahujan Samaj Party candidate.
Among the early Congress winners are Johri Lal Meena (Rajgarh-Laxmangarh), Madan Prajapapat (Pachpadra), Zahida Khan (Kaman), Ramlal Jat (Mandal) and Prashant Bairwa (Niwai).
BJP's Santosh (Anupgarh), Kaluram (Dag), Sama Ram Garaisa (Pindwara-Abu) and Jagsi Ram (Reodar) had also won.
The trend that BJP and the Congress parties are voted to power alternately appeared to hold in the state. Ashok Gehlot said people had given their mandate to the Congress and it will get a clear majority in the state.
"Congress will form the government. This is the mandate of public, which is in favour of the Congress party,” he said.
“We will get a clear majority and will also take along other parties or candidates who quit the BJP for us," he told reporters.
Meanwhile, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on Tuesday conceded BJP's defeat in the Assembly elections and hoped the Congress would take forward the policies her government had implemented in the last five years.
She said her party will raise issues of public importance while sitting in the opposition in the Assembly.
As many as 13 of 19 ministers in the outgoing Vasundhara Raje government have lost the Assembly elections in Rajasthan as results and trends brought electoral reverses for the ruling BJP.
However, Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and her five cabinet colleagues have won their respective constituencies.
"I accept this mandate by the people. BJP has worked a lot for them in these five years, I hope the next party takes those policies and works forward," Raje said while addressing a media briefing.
Raje said the BJP will raise issues of public interest and will take positive steps in their favour while sitting in the opposition in the Assembly.
She congratulated the Congress for their victory in the state and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah, senior party leaders and all the party workers for their guidance and support.
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