BJP makes dent in assembly seats of Gehlot, ministers

Chief minister Ashok Gehlot and his ministers, barring two, failed to give leads to Congress’ Lok Sabha poll candidates in their assembly seats, according to the election commission data on voting patterns.

The BJP and its ally, Rashtriya Loktantrik Party, won all 25 Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan. The BJP gained votes in assembly constituencies of Gehlot, deputy CM Sachin Pilot, 13 cabinet and 10 ministers of state with independent charge. In assembly constituencies two ministers -- Mamta Bhupesh (Sikrai) and Ramesh Meena (Sapotra) -- the Congress gained 14857 and 12,000 votes.

Before LS elections, the Congress had laid down guidelines for its functionaries, including ministers and MLAs, for performance to ensure place in the government and party organisation. AICC secretary and state co-incharge Vivek Bansal had said, “Target for everyone, whether a leader or a minister, has been set. All have to ensure party candidates’ win from 25 Lok Sabha seats. Everyone is accountable, and that’s what AICC chief Rahul Gandhi has directed, even to ministers; candidates from their region should win and only then their place will be certain.” He added the same guideline was applicable for MLAs for a place in the cabinet.

Gehlot is a five-time MLA from Sardarpura that comes under the Jodhpur LS seat, from where his son Vaibhav made his poll debut. Vaibhav lost by 2,74,440 votes to BJP’s Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. Vaibhav trailed by 18827 votes from Sardarpura.

Pilot is MLA from Tonk assembly constituency, part of Tonk-SawaiMadhopur Lok Sabha seat. In Tonk assembly seat, Congress candidate Namo Narayan Meena trailed by 22,000 votes.

The BJP gained the maximum lead -- 1.14 lakh votes -- from agriculture minister Lal Chand Kataria’s assembly constituency Jhotwara, which is part of Jaipur Rural LS seat. BJP candidates got leads from the assembly constituencies of ministers, such as BD Kalla (40802), Shanti Dhariwal (12988), Arjun Bamaniya (63290), Pratap Singh (56000), Harish Choudhary (63289) and Pramod Jain (25832), and assembly speaker CP Joshi (52249).

Other cabinet ministers’ seats where Congress candidates failed to get leads are Parsadi Lal Meena from Lalsot (13203), Bhanwar Lal Meghwal from Sujangarh (42777), Raghu Shara from Kekri (38773), and Vishwendra Singh from Deeg-Kumher (51772). Constituencies of ministers of state where Congress candidates failed to get leads are Govind Singh Dotasara from Lacchmangarh (27176), Bhanwar Singh Bhati from Kolayat (1794), Sukhram Bishnoi from Sanchor (17787), Ashok Chandna from Hindoli (37600), Tikaram Jully from Alwar-rural (26477), Bhajan Lal Jatav from Veir (34909), Rajendra Yadav from Kotputli (35000) and Subhash Garg from Bharatpur (62320).

Political analyst Narayan Bareth said, “Not only in ministers’ seats but also from the CM’ assembly seat votes have gone to the BJP. It is an all-India wave. One cannot do anything to control it. They cannot be questioned, be it ministers or MLAs. It’s a Modi wave and rest is immaterial.”