Rajasthan Assembly Elections: Several leaders, including Chandra Singh Baid, the son of former Rajasthan Finance Minister Chandanmal Baid, on Saturday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the November 25 Assembly elections. Other leaders who joined the BJP are former MLA Nandlal Poonia and former Jaipur Mayor Jyoti Khandelwal among others.
It is pertinent to mention, Khandelwal is said to be a loyalist of Congress leader Sachin Pilot.
Hari Singh Charan, who had fought the Assembly election as an independent candidate from Mandawa, Congress leader Sanwarmal Meharia and former IPS officers Kesar Singh Shekhawat and Bhim Singh have also joined the party.
What BJP said after Congress leaders joining
Speaking at a press briefing, BJP state president CP Joshi said that several leaders joining the party reflects the public's confidence in the widely admired leader, Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Trust in the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has increased. People today have trust in the guarantee of Modi ji. People have stopped believing in the guarantees given by the Congress. They have seen what happened to guarantees, including complete farm loan waiver, providing unemployment allowance, women security, development and controlling inflation," he said.
The party's state in-charge Arun Singh said it is clear that the countdown of the Gehlot government has started and the BJP will win the upcoming Assembly polls with a historic margin.
Jyoti Khandelwal on joining BJP
Following her entry into the BJP, former Jaipur mayor Jyoti Khandelwal expressed that in the Congress, honest and dedicated workers were marginalised, and the party's leadership was not responsive to their concerns. "I continuously saw that there was no hearing of issues of workers who were dedicated towards the party. They were sidelined. High command was maintaining silence or had compromised even after knowing everything," Khandelwal told reporters.
Khandelwal said that the BJP boasts a strong leadership led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and she is committed to strengthening the party with utmost strength.
Rajasthan elections
Rajasthan will go to polls on November 25 while the counting of votes will take place on December 3. Rajasthan has 200 total seats. In Rajasthan – which will see a direct fight between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party on November 25 – anti-incumbency is an important factor. Since 1993, when the BJP came to power after a stint of President’s rule, the state has alternated between the Congress and the BJP.
In 2018, Congress won 100 seats in the 2018 Assembly polls. BJP followed at 73 seats while BSP garnered 6 seats. Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) gathered 3 seats with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Bhartiya Tribal Party (BTP) mustering 2 seats each. Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) managed to grab just one seat while there were 13 independent candidates in the 2018 Assembly Elections.
(With agencies input)
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