BJP takes early lead in Rajasthan's Dholpur by-poll

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday took early lead over the Congress in Rajasthan's Dholpur Assembly as counting began for the by-poll that was held on April 9.

By-election for this seat was necessitated after Bahujan Samaj Party legislator Banwari Lal Kushavah was disqualified as he was convicted in a murder case in 2016.

BJP's Shobha Rani Kushavah, wife of the convicted BSP leader, was leading by a margin of more than 2,100 votes over Congress' Banwari Lal Sharma, a former minister. In all, 15 candidates were in the fray here.

The by-poll is a prestige issue for both the Congress and the ruling BJP, and it can be gauged from the fact that Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje herself, with BJP state President Ashok Parnami and her cabinet colleagues, have spent days in the constituency to woo voters.

Similar was the case with the Congress whose senior leaders, including state President Sachin Pilot, former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and leader of opposition in the state assembly Rameshwar Dudi, campaigned extensively in the constituency to garner votes for their candidate.

In the 2013 assembly elections, the Congress suffered one of its worst defeats in the history of the state, winning only 21 of the 200 assembly seats. The BJP swept the polls, winning 163 seats.

The BJP presently has a strength of 160 and Congress 24 in the House.

--IANS

as/sm/in