Rajasthan Assembly polls: Four BJP rebels among 9 independents win

Eight independent candidates, including four BJP rebels, have won in the Rajasthan assembly elections. Among them is Chandrabhan Aakya who was replaced by the BJP with a relative of former vice president Bhairon Singh Shekhawat in Chittorgarh but contested on his own.

Aakya, the sitting MLA from Chittorgarh, defeated his closest rival Congress' Surendra Singh with a margin of 6823 votes. BJP's Narpat Singh Rajvi, a five-time MLA, secured the third position.

Ahead of the polls, BJP had replaced Aakya with Narpat Singh Rajvi, the son-in-law of former vice president late Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, shifting him from Jaipur's Vidhyadhar Nagar.

Rajvi's constituency was changed because Rajsamand MP Diya Kumari was fielded from Vidhyadhar Nagar.

Diya Kumari won the seat by 71,368 votes.

BJP rebel Ravindra Singh Bhati won the Sheo seat by defeating Congress rebel and independent candidate Fateh Khan with a margin of 3950 votes.

Congress candidate and sitting MLA Ameen Khan was in the third place. Ameen Khan is a five-time MLA.

BJP's Swaroop Singh Khara is in fourth place in Sheo.

Former minister Yoonus Khan won Didwana constituency by 92,392 votes.

Congress candidate Chetan Singh Chaudhary was in the second and Jitendra Singh of BJP in the third positions.

Yoonus Khan is considered close to former chief minister Vasundhara Raje, who registered a win from the Jhalrapatan seat.

Another BJP rebel, Ritu Banawat, won Bayana constituency by a margin of 40,642 votes.

Congress candidate Amar Singh was in the second post and BJP's Bachchu Singh in the third place.

Independent candidate Jivaram Choudhary won Sanchore seat. The BJP denied him a ticket and fielded Jalore MP Devji Patel who secured the third position, while a minister and Congress candidate Sukhram Vishnoi secured the second position.

Other independent candidates who won the elections were Ganeshraj Bansal (Hanumangarh) and Ashok Kumar Kothari (Bhilwara).