Rajasthan election 2023: Counting trends indicate smooth sailing for Bharatiya Janata Party

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The Bharatiya Janata Party appeared set Sunday to wrest Rajasthan from the Congress with counting trends a little after noon showing the party leading on 111 seats, way past the Congress which was ahead in 72 constituencies. The counting for Rajasthan elections 2023 has entered the final stage.

Polling was held for 199 of the 200 seats in the state assembly on November 25.

Celebrations broke out at the BJP's state headquarter as the party crossed the majority-mark, in terms of trends, newswire PTI reported.

Groups of women workers at that office raised slogans hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "The BJP is going to get a thumping victory and will form the government," a party worker said.

Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat took a dig at Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, saying his "magic" is over. "The 'magic' has ended and Rajasthan has come out of the spell of the magician. People have voted for the honour of women and for the welfare of the poor," he said.

Gehlot's father performed magic shows, and the CM has said in the past that he assisted in some.

Shekhawat asserted that the BJP will form the government in the state with a huge mandate.

The election in Sriganganagar's Karanpur seat was postponed due to the death of Congress candidate Gurmeet Singh Koonar.

In the current Assembly, the ruling Congress has 107 MLAs, BJP 70, Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) three.

Also read: Telangana election results: Congress surges ahead of ruling BRS, CM KCR trailing in Kamaraeddy

The CPI (M) and Bhartiya Tribal Party (BTP) have two each and Rashtriya Lok Dal one. There are 13 independents in the outgoing assembly and two seats (Udaipur and Karanpur) are vacant.

Meanwhile, with the trends giving the BJP a lead in three states in the assembly polls, the party on Sunday said people have endorsed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership and rejected the Congress' false promises.

Results show that people accept Prime Minister Modi's "guarantee of delivering on guarantees", Union minister and the BJP's poll in-charge for Rajasthan Pralhad Joshi said.

The BJP has been pitching "Modi's guarantee" as a counter to the Congress' plank of welfare guarantees.

On when the name of the new chief minister of Rajasthan will be decided, Joshi said it will happen "very soon and smoothly".

BJP leader from Rajasthan and Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's 'magic' has not worked in the desert state.

On the poll results in Telangana where the Congress was set to emerge victorious, Joshi said the party benefitted from anti-incumbency against the BRS and that the BJP needs to grow further there.

Joshi, who holds the Parliamentary Affairs portfolio in the Union cabinet, said if the opposition disrupts Parliament's upcoming Winter session starting Monday, it will face worse results than what has come today. (With inputs from agencies)