The Rajasthan Legislative Assembly, consisting of 200 members, is expected to hold its elections by the end of 2023. While the Congress party will make every effort to retain control of the state, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is anticipated to put up a fierce and closely contested battle.
Rajasthan Assembly Election 2023: Date and Schedule
The Election Commission announced the voting and counting dates for the Rajasthan Assembly Election 2023 on October 9. However, the ECI announced a revision on October 11. Voting for the Rajasthan Assembly Election will take place on November 25. Earlier, the polling was slated on November 23. The single-phase voting date has been revised owing to ‘large-scale’ wedding. The Model Code of Conduct has into immediate effect since the dates have been announced.
In the 2018 Rajasthan assembly polls, voting took place in a single phase on December 7, 2018, with vote counting conducted on December 11, 2018. In that year, the Election Commission of India had unveiled the election schedule in early October.
Total Seats in the Rajasthan Assembly Election 2023
Rajasthan’s legislative assembly consists of 200 seats. In the 2018 elections, the Congress secured 99 seats, falling just two seats short of the majority threshold of 101. Nevertheless, it managed to surpass this mark with support from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD). In contrast, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) finished a close second with 73 seats.
Candidates for the Chief Minister’s Position in the Rajasthan Assembly Election 2023
It remains uncertain who will be the Chief Ministerial candidates for the major political parties participating in the Rajasthan Assembly Election. However, for the Congress, there is speculation surrounding the current Chief Minister, Ashok Gehlot. The BJP has yet to announce its chief ministerial candidate, although Vasundhara Raje is considered the frontrunner. If a consensus is not reached, the party may enter the elections without declaring a Chief Ministerial candidate.
Party-Wise Manifestos for the Rajasthan Elections 2023
The primary political parties in the Rajasthan Assembly Elections 2023 are the BJP and the Congress. These parties will release their manifestos after the Election Commission announces the election dates.
In the 2018 BJP manifesto, promises were made to create five million jobs over the next five years, provide a monthly unemployment allowance of Rs 5,000 to the jobless, establish a loan relief commission in each division, and create a Rs 250 crore rural start-up fund to enhance farmers’ income. The manifesto also pledged to identify and deport Rohingyas and Bangladeshis who had illegally settled in the state, as well as offer Indian citizenship to the children of displaced Hindus from Pakistan, numbering around 500,000 in Rajasthan.
On the other hand, the 2018 Congress manifesto, titled ‘Jan Ghoshna Patra,’ pledged to provide loan waivers to farmers, free education for girls and women, an unemployment benefit of up to Rs 3,500 for educated youth, and a pension for old farmers. It also aimed to exempt agriculture equipment and tractors from the Goods and Services Tax (GST).