Congress will come to power in 2024 if it can retain Rajasthan, says Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge expressed confidence that if his party retains the government in Rajasthan after the upcoming Assembly polls, it will also secure victory at the Centre in the 2024 elections.

Kharge addressed a gathering on Monday while launching an awareness campaign for the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) in Baran district. The ERCP is an ambitious irrigation and drinking water solution for 13 districts in eastern Rajasthan. The Congress government will embarking on a "yatra" through the eastern region of Rajasthan to spread awareness on the initiative and inform people about the delays in the project by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre. The yatra will cover regions that could influence 83 Assembly seats in the upcoming state polls.

In the 2018 elections, Congress won 49 seats, BJP secured 25, and independent candidates claimed eight seats, with the Rashtriya Lok Dal winning one in the region.

The Congress president also addressed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent speeches, mentioning a "red diary" containing financial irregularities of the Rajasthan government led by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. According to Kharge, the red diary predicts the Congress forming the government again in Rajasthan. He emphasised that a Congress victory in Rajasthan would lead to the party's triumph at the Centre in 2024.

"It is written in that red diary that the Congress will form its government again in Rajasthan after the upcoming Assembly polls," he said.

Kharge also criticised the BJP's failure to deliver funds and water despite winning 25 Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan in the 2019 elections. Additionally, he defended the Congress's demand for a nationwide caste census, rejecting accusations from Modi that the party aims to divide people based on religion and caste.

"It is the BJP's habit to divide people on the basis of religion and caste," Kharge alleged.

The 200-member Rajasthan Assembly will go to polls on November 25, with the vote count scheduled for December 3. A party must obtain 101 seats to form the state government.

(With agency inputs)