Rajasthan Assembly Election Results 2023: BJP topples Congress, Ashok Gehlot resigns, says 'unexpected result for everyone'

Jaipur: The ruling Congress has lost Rajasthan to BJP as the saffron party surged in the Hindi heartland with counting for votes for Assembly Elections 2023 entering its final phase on Sunday evening.

The counting of votes to 199 of 200 constituencies of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly is on. BJP, banking on the anti-incumbency of the ruling Ashok Gehlot government, has won 113 seats and is leading on 2 others.

• 5:20 pm
  Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot resigned as Rajasthan Chief Minister Sunday evening after the BJP posted a comfortable victory in the state. As per the latest update from ECI, the BJP has won 113 seats in the state against the Congress' 64 seats.
• 5:20 pm
  Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday said the assembly poll results were "unexpected for everyone" and added the party humbly accepted the people's mandate. The BJP was set to win the assembly polls in Rajasthan, defeating the Congress. According to the latest available trends, the BJP won 52 seats and was ahead in 63, while the Congress won 26 and was leading in 43. In a post on X, Gehlot said, "We humbly accept the mandate given by the people of Rajasthan. This is an unexpected result for everyone. This defeat shows that we were not completely successful in taking our plans, laws and innovations to the public." "I wish the new government all the best. My advice to them is that despite working hard, we were not successful, it does not mean that they should not work after forming the government," he said.
• 3:50 pm
  Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot will hand over his resignation to Governor Kalraj Mishra Sunday evening, PTI quoted sources said, after the assembly poll results showed the BJP was set to return to power in the state. Sources said Gehlot is slated to meet the governor at 5.30 pm. The BJP was cruising to victory in Rajasthan with its candidates winning from 16 seats and leading in 99, while the Congress won from five constituencies and was leading in 64, according to Election Commission trends available on Sunday for the assembly polls.
• 2.30 pm
  Former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje attributes the success of the party in Rajasthan elections to PM Modi’s mantra. In her first reaction, she said, "This victory is of the mantra of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayaas’, given by PM Modi. It is the victory of the guarantee given by the PM. It is also the victory of the strategy given by Amit Shah and the able leadership provided by Nadda. Most importantly, it's a victory for our party workers."
• 2.15 pm
  Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot has come to the party office in Jaipur, where he will be having talks with the senior leaders about the election results.
• 2.10 pm
  BJP candidate Govind Prasad won the Manohar Thana constituency, according to the Election Commission of India. According to the Commission's website, Prasad won the Manohar Thana seat by a margin of 24,865 votes. He secured a total of 85,304 votes.
• 1.55 pm
  BJP candidate Samaram won the Pindwara Abu assembly constituency in Rajasthan, the Election Commission of India said. Accordign to Commission's website, Samaram won the Pindwara Abu seat by a margin of 13,094 votes. He secured a total of 70,647 votes.
• 1.18 pm
  First official victory was declared in Rajasthan Assembly Elections 2023. Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) candidate Rajkumar Roat won from the Chorasi constituency, the Election Commission of India said. He won the seat by a margin of 69,166 votes, and polled 1,11,150 votes.
• 1 pm
  Former CM and BJP leader Vasundhara Raje has won in Jhalrapatan constituency beating her nearest rival Congress candidate Ramlal Chouhan by 53,193 votes. Raje had received 1,38,831 votes while Chouhan polled 85,638 votes, in the 25th round. Read More...
• 12.15 pm
  Union Minister Pralhad Joshi says the Congress has been rejected by the people and that the saffron party will bag 124 seats in Rajasthan. "People have voted for the BJP, positive commitment and the leadership of PM Modi. People have rejected Congress. It has always been giving bogus promises, people have seen it in Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh. So they have failed. That's why they have been rejected. I am very happy, we will cross at least 124 (seats) in Rajasthan.” Joshi was also In-charge of Rajasthan.
• 11.54 am
  As trends show a BJP resurgence in Rajasthan, Congress asks the media to wait till the results arrive. Party observers for Rajasthan, BS Hooda, Mukul Wasnik and Shakil Khan have arrived in Jaipur to take stock of the results. When Wasnik was asked about the early leads by the BJP, the party leader maintained that the media will have to wait till the results are out. "These are early trends. Let the results come out," he said.
• 11.14 am
  Former CM Vasundhara Raje has extended her lead by over 36,211 votes in Jhalrapatan, in the 14th round of counting. CM Ashok Gehlot who is contesting from Sardarpura is leading by 12,479 votes in 11 rounds.
• 11 am
  The Election Commission site numbers show the saffron party leading in 114 seats. Congress is leading in 67. Former Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje is leading by 29,863 votes, the highest in the state. Congress CM Ashok Gehlot leads by 11,909 votes in the eighth round of counting.
• 10.49 am
  Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that he was predicting a huge win for the BJP in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. "I’ve been saying from day one that the BJP will get a huge majority. BJP will win in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. This is due to the work done by PM Modi to bring change in the lives of the poor," the BJP leader said.
• 10.33 am
  The BJP workers dance to the tunes of the drum beats. Celebrations pick up outside the party office in Jaipur as official Election Commission trends show the party leading on 99 of the 199 seats so far. Congress is leading in 77 seats.
• 10.15 am
  Party workers at the BJP state headquarters are in a mood of jubilation. Loud sloganeering could be heard. BJP state in-charge Arun Singh said the party will win with a huge majority. Former MLA Mohan Lal Gupta and Rajya Sabha MP Ghanshyam Tiwari, are among the early visitors to the party office in Rajasthan.
• 9.54 am
  BJP crosses 100-mark in Rajasthan. Vasundhara Raje is leading by 10,161 votes in the third round of counting.
• 9.45 am
  Ashok Gehlot extends lead in Sardarpura. In the second round of counting, his margin stood at 5,759 votes. He has so far received 12,536 votes.
• 9.29 am
  Raje, a member of Scindia, royal family won the seat in 2013, defeating Congress candidate Meenakshi Chandrawat by a margin of 60,896 votes. In 2018, she bagged the seat, defeating Congress candidate and Jaswant Singh's son Manvendra Singh by a margin of 34,980 votes. She has been holding this seat since 2003.
• 9.17 am
  Former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje is leading by 7,025 votes in Jhalrapatan seat in Jhalawar. She has been elected from here. In 2018, Vasundhara Raje of the BJP emerged winner from the Jhalrapatan. She has been elected four times from here and has served twice as CM of Rajasthan.
• 9.07 am
  Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is leading in Sardarpura by 4857 votes. He received 63 per cent votes in the 2018 assembly elections. Sardarpura has been a Congress bastion ever since with Gehlot first won from here in 1998. He is looking to return to the Legislative Assembly for the sixth consecutive term from this sea. It is from this seat he won the bypoll in 1998 to continue as the CM of the state after being sworn in.
• 9.03 am
  Jodhpur District Election Officer Himanshu Gupta says the strong rooms have been opened. Postal ballots that are received for the respective constituencies are being opened in the presence of the contesting candidates and their counting agents. “Situation is peaceful everywhere so far. All political agents are present in their respective constituencies,"
• 8.49 am
  As counting begins, Rajasthan state unit BJP chief CP Joshi claims that the people have given them the mandate against misgovernance and injustice. "The public has blessed BJP with complete majority. Misgovernance and injustice will lose; Good governance and justice will prevail," he said in a media interaction amid counting.
• 8.30 am
  Counting of votes in 36 counting centres have began at 8.30, simultaneously along with the postal ballots. A total of 2,552 tables have been set up in these counting centres. The EVM vote counting will be complete in 4,180 rounds. Shio assembly constituency in Barmer will have the highest number of rounds - 34 while Ajmer South constituency will have only 14.
• 8 am
  Counting of postal ballots begins in all counting halls in counting centres setup across the State in Rajasthan. A total of 36 counting centres have been setup across the state, where postal ballots are being counted by the officials in the presence of authorised political party agents.
• 7.43 am
  Preparations have been completed for the counting process, which will begin in the next few minutes. The counting of ballot papers will be done first, followed by votes registered in electronic voting machines (EVMs). The counting of ballot papers will be done first, followed by votes registered in electronic voting machines (EVMs), Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Praveen Gupta had said.
• 7.31 am
  Strong rooms were unlocked in the presence of counting officials ahead of the counting. The strong rooms were holding the EVMs were checked and were being brought according to the order to the counting tables, in all counting centres set up across the state.
• 7.22 am
  Postal ballots will be counted between 8 am and 8.30 am, after which the counting of votes through EVMs will begin in the presence of officials and political parties' authorised agents. Soon after the postal ballots are counted, its result will be declared candidate-wise by the officials concerned and the exercise will be followed after the completion of each round of counting.
• 6.54 am
  74.13 % Voter turnout-Rajasthan boasts a massive 52 million registered voters that elect the 200-member Legislative Assembly. To form a government in Rajasthan, a party needs to secure at least 101 seats. The recent assembly polls witnessed a notable 74.13 per cent voter turnout on November 25, slightly surpassing the 74.06 per cent recorded in the 2018 elections.
• 6.41 am
  The Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government faces anti-incumbency with exit polls showing it is advantage BJP, though not exactly a saffron wave like 2013 when the party swept through the state winning 163 seats. In the 2018 elections, the Congress secured 100 seats, falling just short of a majority. However, they managed to form the government with the support of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and independent candidates.
• 6.15 am
  The trend so far-The declaration of election results by Sunday evening will determine the political landscape of the state with Congress praying that Rajasthan breaks the trend and re-elects its government, something that has not happened in the last 30 years now. Since 1993, the state has alternated between the BJP and the Congress in forming the government. Notable leaders like Ashok Gehlot (Congress), Vasundhara Raje (BJP), and Bhairon Singh Shekhawat (BJP) have taken turns as chief ministers during this period.
• 6.06 am
  Official arrangements-The counting of votes in Rajasthan will be done at 36 centres in the state on Sunday, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Praveen Gupta said. Preparations, including security arrangements, have been completed for the counting process, which will begin at 8 am.
• 5.45 am
  Counting centres- While 30 election districts have one counting centre, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Nagaur have two centres each, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Praveen Gupta said. "District election officers, police commissioners and superintendents of police have been instructed to strictly follow the security norms for counting centres," Gupta said. The CEO said three-tier security arrangements have been made at counting venues. Only authorised pass-holders will be able allowed to enter the venues, he said.
• 5.25 am
  Counting Tables & Halls- "Separate counting halls have been made for each assembly at the counting centres, where, according to instructions of the Election Commission, tables have been arranged for counting of postal ballots and EVMs," Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Praveen Gupta said. He said there will be a counting supervisor, a counting assistant, counting staff and a micro-observer on a table designated for counting votes in EVMs. There will be an assistant returning officer, a counting supervisor, two counting assistants and a micro-observer at the counting table of postal ballots, he said. In total, 2,552 tables have been set up for counting. There will be 4,180 rounds for EVM vote counting, Gupta said. He said the highest of 34 rounds will be held for the Shio assembly constituency (Barmer) and the lowest of 14 rounds for Ajmer South constituency.
• 5.20 am
  On November 25, polling was held in 199 of the 200 assembly constituencies of the state and there are 1,862 candidates in the fray. The election in Karanpur was postponed following the death of Congress candidate Gurmeet Singh Koonar.
• 5.20 am
  What does BJP bank on- The BJP's confidence going into the elections stemmed from a focus on issues such as paper leaks, women's safety, law and order, and communalism. The BJP strategically shifted attention from the Gehlot government's alleged corruption scandals to concerns like paper leaks in examinations conducted by the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC). Unemployment, reflected in the cancellation of eight RPSC examinations and subsequent arrests, became a significant concern, particularly among the youth. Communalism was another key factor, with the BJP emphasizing identity politics and raising sensitive issues like the beheading of Udaipur tailor Kanhaiyalal and the Rajasthan High Court's acquittal of individuals involved in the 2008 Jaipur bomb blasts. The scheduled inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya in January featured prominently in BJP speeches. Issues related to women's safety and law and order also gained attention, with the BJP highlighting cases of crimes against women in the state. Rajasthan, despite implementing measures leading to a rise in the number of FIRs in crimes against women, is being portrayed as unsafe by the BJP. The absence of senior women leaders in the Congress adds to the party's vulnerability on this front.
• 5.10 am
  Congress stronghold- Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's stronghold against anti-incumbency lies in the numerous welfare schemes he has implemented, covering various demographics. From the return to the Old Pension Scheme for government employees to specific programs for women, farmers, and other sections, Gehlot has presented himself as a leader dedicated to the upliftment of the state's people. As the state eagerly awaits the election results, the political scenario in Rajasthan is shaped by a complex interplay of issues, including anti-incumbency, unemployment, communalism, women's safety, and the impact of welfare schemes. The outcome today will determine the path the state takes for the next term, with both the BJP and the Congress vying for the opportunity to govern Rajasthan.
• 5.05 am
  Exit polls- The exit polls for Rajasthan indicate a potential change in government, with the BJP emerging as the likely winner in the 2023 state Assembly elections. Several reputable exit polls forecast a substantial lead for the BJP in Rajasthan. Republic TV-Matrize (115-130 seats for BJP, 65-75 seats for Congress), P-MARQ (105-125 seats for BJP, 69-91 seats for Congress), and Times Now-ETG (108-128 seats for BJP, 56-72 seats for Congress) predict a decisive victory for the Opposition party. Jan Ki Baat survey, at its lower end (100-122 seats for BJP, 62-85 seats for Congress), echoes the 2018 scenario for Congress. However, even at the highest projection of 85 seats, Congress falls significantly below the majority required to pose a serious challenge to the BJP. TV9 Bharatvarsh Polstrat exit poll anticipates a competitive contest, with BJP leading with 100-110 seats and Congress securing 90-100 seats. Dainik Bhaskar, on the other hand, projects 98-105 seats for BJP and 85-95 seats for Congress. India Today-Axis My India (86-106 seats for Congress, 80-100 for BJP) and India TV-CNX (94-104 seats for Congress, 80-90 for BJP) exit polls bring some solace to Congress supporters, indicating the party's lead in the elections.
• 5 am
  As of now, the BJP is yet to announce a chief ministerial candidate, a position previously held twice by its leader Vasundhara Raje. It would be interesting to see whether BJP continues with Raje or brings in a new face to lead Rajasthan. For Congress, while exit polls predict a loss, the party will still want to believe it can buck the trend.

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