The stage is set for by-elections on seven assembly seats in Rajasthan on Wednesday, a crucial test for the BJP and its leaders as they seek to recover from their disappointing performance in the state's Lok Sabha elections.
While these bypolls will not impact the ruling BJP government's stability, they are significant for the party's future prospects.
Alongside the BJP and Congress, Hanuman Beniwal's Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) and Rajkumar Rathore's Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) have also fielded candidates as they aim to retain their strongholds.
The seven seats up for election are Jhunjhunu, Dausa, Deoli-Uniara, Khinvsar, Chorasi, Salumber, and Ramgarh. Voting will take place on November 13, with results to be declared on November 23.
A total of 69 candidates – 10 women and 59 men – are in the running across the seven constituencies. There are 1,915 polling booths set up for the election.
Of the contested seats, four were previously held by Congress, one by BJP, one by BAP, and one by RLP.
The Khinvsar seat, dominated by Jat voters, is set for a triangular contest between BJP’s Revant Ram Danga, Congress's Ratan Chaudhary, and RLP's Kanika Chaudhary, wife of party chief Hanuman Beniwal. The seat became vacant after Hanuman Beniwal won a Lok Sabha seat earlier this year, and Danga, a former close aide of Beniwal, joined the BJP after a fallout. A high-pitched campaign is underway, with leaders from all three parties canvassing extensively.
In Jhunjhunu, another Jat-majority seat, BJP's Rajendra Bhamboo faces Congress's Amit Ola, son of Brijendra Ola, who vacated the seat after being elected to Parliament. Amit Ola, trying to uphold the political legacy of his family, is in a direct contest with Bhamboo. Former minister Rajendra Singh Gudha is also running as an Independent.
The tribal-majority Chorasi seat is witnessing a close contest between BJP and BAP candidates, following the vacancy left by BAP's Rajkumar Roat, who was elected to Parliament.
The Dausa and Deoli-Uniara seats are also being contested between BJP and Congress, although Congress rebel Naresh Meena is also in the fray for Dausa.
The Ramgarh and Salumber seats became vacant after the deaths of the sitting MLAs, Congress's Zubair Khan (Ramgarh) and BJP’s Amrit Lal (Salumber). Both parties have fielded family members in a bid to secure sympathy votes.
With over 9,000 security personnel deployed, preparations for the bypolls have been completed. Chief Election Officer Naveen Mahajan assured that strong law and order measures are in place for free, fair, and transparent elections.
In Rajasthan’s 200-member assembly, the BJP currently holds 114 seats, Congress 65, Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) three, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) two, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) one, with eight Independent MLAs.
The bypolls are seen as an opportunity for Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma and BJP state president Madanlal Rathore to regain some of the ground lost in the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year, where the BJP lost 11 out of the 25 seats it previously held.
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