BJP confident of smashing decade-old trend in Rajasthan

With the exit polls largely giving a major seat share to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Rajasthan, the saffron outfit is confident of shattering the decade-old trend of the ruling party having an edge over the opposition in the Lok Sabha elections in the state.

According to BJP MLA Satish Punia, the trend is going to change this time as the saffron opposition will sweep Rajasthan in the Lok Sabha polls, winning 22-25 seats out of the 25 parliamentary constituencies in the state.

The BJP has more reasons to cheer, as per Punia, because the anti-incumbency factor is already starting to show against the state government which has been in power for just 150 days.

The BJP lawmaker said that people were anguished by the rising crime rate in the state and also because of the culmination of ambitious schemes such as the Bhamashah, Annapurna and Rajlaxmi which were started by the BJP.

Since last many years, the ruling party in Rajasthan has garnered a major share of Lok Sabha seats. In 2014, the ruling BJP had swept all the 25 seats in the state. In 2009, the Congress had walked away with 20 seats a year after forming the government in the state, while the BJP managed only 4 seats. In 2004, the ruling BJP had won 21 seats while 4 seats went the Congress' way.

An exception was seen in 1999, when the BJP won 19 seats despite being in the opposition, while the ruling Congress managed 9 seats.

Terming the exit polls as "exact polls", Punia said a jubilant BJP has already started working for the panchayat elections and the civic body polls scheduled to be held in November this year.

Punia also asserted that Rajasthan would see major representation in the Central government and that many new as well as old faces would go to the Parliament.IANS

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