Bypoll results for 3 seats today
JAIPUR: Bypoll results in the three assembly constituencies Rajsamand, Sahara (Bhilwara) and Sujangarh (Churu) would be out on Sunday. The election results would have no bearing on the stability of the Ashok Gehlot government, which enjoys comfortable majority in the assembly, but would be a commentary on the state presidents of both Congress and BJP.
On April 17, the three seats went for bypoll and recorded a total of 60.37% voting.
The polling percentage at
Sujangarh in Churu district was 58.21%. Rajsamand registered 67.23% polling, and Sahara 56.60%. A total of 44,98,85 voters turned out for the polls.
Assembly bypolls are first major elections that Congress state chief Govind Singh Dotasra and BJP state president Satish Poonia have faced. Dotasra and Poonia, both, extensively campaigned in all three constituencies, while the parties’ top leaders like Ashok Gehlot and Vasundhara Raje largely stayed aloof.
The bypoll results would also reflect on the hold of certain ministers and legislators who were roped in on both sides. Health minister Raghu Sharma, Mines Minister Pramod Jain Bhaya, leader of opposition Gulab Chand Kataria and deputy leader of opposition Rajendra Rathore were all put to test in the bypolls and the results would speak about their future in the respective parties.
At the same time, the election result will be seen as a report card of the Gehlot government.
The bypolls were held after the demise of sitting MLAS. The Congress had fielded Manoj Meghwal, the son of former social justice and empowerment minister Master Bhanwarlal
Meghwal, and Gayatri Devi, the wife of former MLA Kailash Trivedi, on Sujangarh and Sahada constituencies, respectively. In Rajsamand, the ruling party gave ticket to businessman and social worker Tansukh Bohara. Master Bhanwarlal Meghwal and Kailash Trivedi, who died last year, represented Sujangarh and Sahada seats, while Rajsamand was held by BJP’S Kiran Maheshwari who also died last year.
Maheshwari’s daughter Deepti Maheshwari is the BJP candidate in Rajsamand while the saffron party has fielded former MLA Ratanlal Jat in
Sahada and former minister Khemaram Meghwal in Sujangarh. Of the 200 seats, Congress currently has 104 members, BJP 72, RLP 3, CPI (M) and BTP 2 each, 13 are independents, and four seats are vacant. Three of the four vacant seats have conducted bypolls while Vallabhnagar bypoll is pending.
Amid the peak of second wave of Covid-19, chief electoral officer Praveen Gupta has instructed the District Election Officers to strictly follow the guidelines at the counting venues. Entry will be given at the venues only after seeing double vaccine certificates or negative report.