In the run-up to the crucial Rajasthan Assembly elections, a high-decibel campaign came to a close on Thursday, with both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress intensifying their efforts. The state, with all 200 seats up for grabs, is poised for polling on November 25, and the results are set to be unveiled on December 3.
Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta revealed that a substantial 52.5 million voters, comprising 27.3 million men and 25.2 million women, are eligible to cast their votes. Among them, 51,033 voters are above 80 years old, and an additional 11,894 are disabled.
Throughout the campaign, the ruling Congress highlighted the welfare schemes under Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's leadership. Key promises included an annual honorarium of ₹10,000 for women heads of families and subsidized gas cylinders for over 10 million households at ₹500 each. The party accused the BJP of attempting to mislead the public.
Contrastingly, the BJP campaign, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, focused on criticizing the state's law and order situation. Allegations of rising crime and corruption, along with blaming the state government for question paper leaks in 15 examinations over the last five years, took centre stage. The party also brought attention to the murder of Udaipur tailor Kanhiaya Lal in 2022, labelling it as an example of the Congress's appeasement politics.
Prime Minister Modi, during his last election rally in Rajsamand district on Thursday, continued to criticize the Congress over senior leader Sachin Pilot. He claimed that the party discarded Pilot "like a fly from milk" and assured the public that welfare schemes initiated by Gehlot would not be halted. Modi's comments stirred controversy, with Pilot responding that only the party and the people needed to worry about him.
In a strategic move, Modi invoked the legacy of Rajesh Pilot, Sachin Pilot's father, who was once critical of Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi. Modi alleged mistreatment of the Pilot family, citing examples from the past. Gehlot countered, accusing the BJP of attempting to provoke the Gujjar community and highlighting the 72 Gujjars killed in police firing in 2007 during quota protests when the BJP was in power.
Gujjars constitute around 5% of the state's population, and in the last elections, the Congress secured victory in 30 of the 34 Gujjar-dominated seats in eastern Rajasthan.
The campaign saw significant participation from national leaders, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan joining Prime Minister Modi in the BJP's campaign. The Congress countered with campaigns led by Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, supported by leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge, Gehlot, Sachin Pilot, and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.
On the last day of the campaign, both Shah and Gehlot addressed separate press conferences in Jaipur. Shah expressed confidence in a BJP victory, attributing it to a mood for change and the public's decision to oust the Congress. He criticized Gehlot's governance, citing crimes against women and unemployment as factors that would lead to the Congress government's disappearance.
In response, Gehlot accused the BJP of false propaganda and misuse of central agencies for political reasons. He criticized the BJP for lacking a substantive campaign on issues and policies, focusing instead on provocative statements.
The stage is now set for the people of Rajasthan to cast their votes on November 25, with the results eagerly awaited on December 3, as the political landscape anticipates the verdict that will determine the state's leadership for the coming years.