Congress with its win in bye election in Rajasthan which could not be held along with the rest of the state on December 7 due to the death of the BSP candidate, Laxman Singh.
The Congress now on its own has a simple majority in Rajasthan along with one member from its ally Rashtriya Lok Dal after the results of the Ramgarh election,
“I am very happy the congress now has 100 seats and this has been done through me,” said Saafiya Zubair. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot called it proof that Rahul Gandhi’s minimum income guarantee plan had won the support of the masses.
The BJP has blamed its defeat on the BSP’s candidate Jagat Singh, the son of former Congress leader Natwar Singh, cutting into its votes. Jagat Singh had quit the BJP over not being allowed to contest the seat.
Ramgarh saw a polarised campaign as incidents of cow vigilantism and the lynching of a Muslim man – Rakbar Khan – last year, during the BJP’s rule, dominated the discourse.
In BJP ruled Haryana Jind, BJP candidate Krishan Middha, won . He is the son of two-time INLD (Indian National Lok Dal) lawmaker Hari Chand Middha, whose death is the reason the bypolls were held.
Counting was stopped for some time as protests broke out at an election centre with allegations that the Electronic Voting Machine had been manipulated. The rapid action force and the police had to use lathicharge to control the swelling crowds.
Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala, who is also the legislator from Kaital, ended up three in the prestige contest.
The newly launched Jannayak Janata Party (JJP)’s Digvijay Chautala led in the initial rounds of counting before dropping to the second position. Digvijay Chautala is the younger son of Ajay Singh Chautala, who broke away from his father OM Prakash Chautala’s INLD and floated his party in December.
