After the two round of counting in Rajasthan, It seems that the state is heading towards a coalition government. Till now, trends on all the 199 seats of the state have come. BJP is leading on 78 seats while Congress is leading on 96 seats. The shocking news is the ‘trend’ in the favour of ‘others’, which comprises of the BSP, RLP (formed by former BJP leader Hanuman Beniwal), AAP and some independent candidates. The others are leading on 25 seats who may act as kingmakers in Rajasthan.
Rajasthan has a history of not electing the same party for two consecutive terms. But there may be a new dawn in the history of Rajasthan elections. Since there is no clear-cut majority for any party, the ball now goes in the court of ‘others’ who are more likely to tilt towards the BJP. If there comes an opportunity for a coalition government, everyone will prefer BJP over Congress as they are running the government at the centre. The others are leading on 25 seats which comprise candidates of BSP, RLP (formed by former BJP leader Hanuman Beniwal), AAP and some independent candidates.
There is a straight-forward division between the stronghold regions of Congress and BJP. North and West region of the state is under the influence of Congress party. South and Eastern Rajasthan appear like a fort of the saffron party. In the last elections, BJP won got huge support in the north region which has a vast majority of the Jat voters. But this time due to the rise of Hanuman Beniwal, former BJP and Jat leader, BJP seems to be having a hard time in maintaining grip in the state. Hanuman Beniwal may play a big role in the formation of government in Rajasthan.
Post poll alliance will be crucial for the formation of the government of Rajasthan. It will be interesting to see how both the parties manage to prove majority in the assembly. BJP has an upper hand here, having Amit Shah as its chief strategist.