BSP plans to contest all 200 assembly seats in Rajasthan

The Bahujan Samaj Party is planning to contest all 200 assembly seats in Rajasthan, a party leader said amid plans by BSP chief Mayawati to hold rallies in different parts of the state.

Earlier this month, Mayawati ruled out any alliance with the Congress in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh in the upcoming assembly polls. In Chhattisgarh, the BSP is fighting the elections along with Ajit Jogi's Janta Congress.

Rajasthan will go to the polls on December 7.

The party won three seats in the 2013 assembly elections in the state, securing 3.37 per cent votes. The vote share was 7.60 per cent in the 2008 elections when the party won six seats.

"Our preparations are in full swing and we will contest on all 200 seats in the forthcoming elections," state party vice president Dungarram Gedar said.

In the last assembly elections, the party had contested in 195 constituencies.

He said the candidates will be finalised soon and Mayawati will hold rallies in the state.

"We are expecting to increase our tally in the 2018 elections because people are unhappy with both the BJP and the Congress. There is resentment against the ruling BJP and people are not seeing any hope in the Congress," another BSP leader, Bhagwan Singh, said.

He said the party chief will hold rallies in different parts of the state during the elections.

Eastern Rajasthan districts like Bharatpur, Dholpur, Karauli, Sawaimadhopur and Alwar and the northern ones like Hanumangarh, Sriganganagar and Bikaner has significant Scheduled Caste (SC) population, which form the party's vote bank.

There are 34 SC and 25 ST reserved seats out of the total 200 constituencies in the state.

"The BSP is contesting solo and the Congress is going to suffer a loss," Bhagwan Singh said.

The BSP has been contesting assembly elections in the state since 1990, but it registered its first victory in 1998 by winning two seats.

In 1998, the party fielded 108 candidates and secured 2.17 per cent vote share.

In the 2003 elections, the BSP fought in 124 constituencies and won two seats, increasing its vote share to 3.98 per cent.

Its biggest success in the state was in 2008, when six BSP candidates won and the vote share increased to 7.60 per cent.

However, that victory was short-lived as all six MLAs joined the Congress, supporting the Ashok Gehlot-led government.