Rajasthan Election Results 2024 Highlights: BJP wins 14 seats in Rajasthan, Congress goes from zero to eight

The Congress has made a strong comeback in Rajasthan in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, securing an impressive eight out of 25 Parliamentary seats and supporting its alliance partners to victories on three other seats. This remarkable turnaround follows the grand old party's lacklustre performances in 2014 and 2019 general elections when it failed to secure a single seat in the state.

Hanuman Beniwal of Rashtriya Loktantrik Party has won the seat in Nagaur securing 5,96,955 votes. He has won by a margin of over 42 thousand votes defeating BJP's Jyoti Mirdha.

Amraram of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has clinched the victory in the Sikar constituency by a margin of 72,896 votes, garnering 6,59,300 votes, defeating BJP's Sumedhanand Saraswati. Through a coalition with the Opposition Congress, 72-year-old Amra Ram ran for office from the Jat-dominated constituency. He defeated Sumedhanand Saraswati, the two-term sitting MP for the BJP.

Raj Kumar Roat of Bharat Adivasi Party has emerged victorious in Banswara by a margin of 2,47,045 votes, securing 8,20,831 votes. He has defeated BJP's Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya who secured 5,73,777 votes. This triumph not only confirms BAP's parliamentary debut but also highlights the party's increasing sway over the tribal voters.

In Rajasthan's Lok Sabha elections, the BJP has won 12 seats and leads in 2, solidifying its dominance, while Congress secured 7 seats with 1 lead. Stay updated as the counting continues.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured eight seats in the Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan and was leading in six out of the 25 parliamentary constituencies in the state.

Among the remaining seats, the INDIA bloc partners, namely the Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)], won one seat each. The Congress was ahead in seven seats, while the Bharatiya Aam Party (BAP) and the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party were leading in one seat each.
So far, the results of 10 Lok Sabha seats have been declared.

The victorious BJP candidates include "Arjun Ram Meghwal from Bikaner, Dushyant Singh from Jhalawar-Baran, Manju Sharma from Jaipur, Bhagirath Choudhary from Ajmer, Lumbaram from Jalore, Mahima Kumari Mewar from Rajsamand, Damodar Agarwal from Bhilwara and Manna Lal Rawat from Udaipur."

INC's Bhajan Lal Jatav won with 530011 votes and a margin of 98945 votes as BJP INdu Devi was the runner up with 4,31,066 votes.

Arjun Ram Meghwal from Bikaner, Dushyant Singh from Jhalawar-Baran have also won.

After Manju Sharma from Jaipur constituency, Lumbaram from Jalore and Mahima Kumari Mewar has won from BJP in Rajasthan, Bhagirath Choudhary from Ajmer, Damodar Agarwal from Bhilwara have also won in Rajasthan

Manju Sharma from Jaipur constituency, Lumbaram from Jalore and Mahima Kumari Mewar has won from BJP in Rajasthan. BJP is also leading on 11 constituencies in the state

The Rajasthan BJP chief, C P Joshi, addressed reporters at the party's state headquarters on Tuesday, as the NDA moved closer to securing victory in the Lok Sabha elections. Joshi acknowledged that the results were not entirely as anticipated, and the party was still awaiting the final outcome. However, he emphasized that the counting trends clearly indicated the formation of an NDA government at the Centre. "The Lok Sabha results are not as expected. We are still waiting for the final results. But the counting trends clearly shows that an NDA government is going to be formed at the Centre," Joshi told reporters during a press conference at the BJP state headquarters here."The opposition tried to mislead the people of the country by raising irrelevant issues during the election, and the NDA has got the support, love and blessings of the people," he added.

BJP workers celebrate at the state BJP headquarters after the victory of BJP candidate Manju Sharma from Jaipur Lok Sabha seat.

Rajasthan Minister Kirodi Lal Meena has reiterated his promise to resign from his cabinet post if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) loses any of the seven seats under his responsibility. Meena, who campaigned extensively on these seats, including Dausa, Bharatpur, Dholpur, Karauli, Alwar, Tonk-Sawaimadhopur, and Kota-Bundi, has accepted that there is doubt on some seats like Barmer and Churu. The BJP is ahead on 14 seats in Rajasthan, but the Congress is leading on several seats, including Dausa, Karauli-Dholpur, Tonk-Sawaimadhopur, Bharatpur, Ganganagar, Churu, Jhunjhunu, and Barmer.

As the Election Commission of India (ECI) releases the latest trends, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is leading with 236 seats. Prem Chand Bairwa, the Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan, expressed his confidence in the party's performance, stating that the trends align with their expectations and they are on track to achieve their goal of securing 400 seats.In an interview with ANI, Prem Chand Bairwa affirmed, "The trends are in favour of BJP. The trends are coming as per our expectations. And gradually, we will also reach our target and we are completely confident of that."Furthermore, he confidently predicted, "We will win more than 400 Lok Sabha seats... In Rajasthan, we will secure all 25 Lok Sabha seats." The Deputy Chief Minister's statements reflect the BJP's optimism and determination to secure a significant majority in the Lok Sabha elections.

As the vote counting for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections progresses, BJP President and Chittorgarh candidate CP Joshi has expressed strong confidence in the party's victory. Joshi asserted that the BJP's aim of "400 paar" (crossing 400 seats) will be accomplished, and the party will also secure a majority in Rajasthan. He dismissed opposition leaders' dismissal of exit poll predictions, stating that the Congress will soon start blaming the EVM.

According to the latest trends, the BJP is leading in 14 seats in Rajasthan, while the Congress is ahead in 8 seats, and other parties are leading in one seat each. Joshi himself is leading in the Chittorgarh constituency, a seat he has won in the past two elections.

Rajasthan Congress President Govind Singh Dotasra attributes the party's success to the hard work of workers and leaders, unity, and effective campaigning by Rahul Gandhi, Kharge, and Priyanka Gandhi. "The hard work of Congress workers and leaders and our unity was a factor. On top of that, the way Rahul Gandhi, Kharge, and Priyanka Gandhi campaigned for this election has worked in our favour," says Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra on poll trends.

The BJP was leading in 13 Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan and Congress was ahead in 9 seats, as per the latest Election Commission trends.In Jodhpur, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat with 2,12,704 votes has established a lead of 20,883 over Congress’ Karan Singh Uchiyarda.In Kota, Speaker Om Birla had polled 2,29,076 and was leading with a margin of 13,324 over his rival Prahlad Gunjal of the Congress.Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's son Vaibhav Gehlot was trailing in Jalore while BJP candidate Lumbaram Choudhary was leading.Congress was leading in Barmer which is witnessing a triangular contest. Ummedaram Beniwal from Congress is leading with 84,399 votes, Independent candidate Ravindra Singh Bhati is at 52,167 while BJP’s Kailash Chaudhary is trailing in third position with 23,029 votes.In Churu, Rahul Kaswan from Congress is leading with a margin of 19,201 votes leaving BJP’s Devendra Jhajharia behind. Kaswan is the sitting BJP MP from Churu who joined Congress after being denied a ticket.In Jaipur Rural, Congress's Anil Chopra is leading with 1,88,814 votes while BJP's Rao Rajendra Singh is trailing with 1,65,740 votes.

BJP is leading in 13 Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan, while the Congress is ahead in 9 seats, according to the latest Election Commission trends. In Jodhpur, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is leading with a margin of 20,883 votes over Congress' Karan Singh Uchiyarda. In Kota, Speaker Om Birla is leading with a margin of 13,324 votes over his rival Prahlad Gunjal of the Congress.

Celebrations have erupted outside the residence of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Damodar Agarwal in Bhilwara constituency. According to the official trends from the Election Commission of India (ECI), Agarwal is currently leading by a substantial margin of 181,586 votes. The counting process is still ongoing, and the final results are yet to be declared.

BJP is leading in 14 Lok Sabha seats, while the Congress is ahead in eight. The INDIA bloc parties, including CPI(M), RLP, and BAP, are leading in one seat each. The BJP's Mahima Kumari Mewar is leading with the highest margin in Rajsamand, followed by Congress candidate Murari Meena in Dausa. Union ministers Om Birla, Arjun Meghwal, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, and Bhupendra Yadav are also leading, while Kailash Chaudhary trails in Barmer.

Nagaur, a Jat-dominated constituency in Rajasthan, witnessed a fierce battle between rival Mirdha family factions under the Congress banner. The long-standing feud intensified, prompting Jats to seek alternative leadership. Hanuman Beniwal, a former Mirdha supporter, now leads the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party in alliance with Congress.
Beniwal's challenger is Jyoti Mirdha, who joined the BJP ahead of the 2023 assembly polls. The campaign highlighted generational divides, with Richpal, Jyoti's uncle, invoking nostalgia and Beniwal focusing on youth. Sporadic violence occurred on polling day, and the constituency recorded over 57% polling.

In Barmer, Ummeda Ram Beniwal of the Indian National Congress (INC) candidate, has taken the lead with a significant number of votes. Ravindra Singh Bhati, the independent candidate, is currently in second place with 31,900 votes, but the vote difference could still change as the counting process continues.

The last decade yielded BJP perfect scores in Rajasthan. The party also rode a victory wave in the Dec 2023 assembly polls. However, it appears to be encountering some hurdles this time. From intra-party challenges to defections, debates over inadequate development, and anger over Agnipath and farmer protests, BJP may find it difficult to repeat its 25/25 performance a third time, as predicted by the exit polls.

Union minister Bhupendra Yadav is leading in Rajasthan's Alwar seat against INC's Lalit Yadav with 4,490 votes

Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal is trailing in Rajasthan's Bikaner seat with 5,222 votes against INC's Govind Ram Meghwal

The BJP is leading in 17 Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan, while the INDIA bloc, comprising Congress and RLP, is ahead in two seats. The counting of postal ballots began at 8 am at 29 centers across the state. BJP candidates are leading in several constituencies, including Bikaner, Jhalawar, Chittorgarh, and Jodhpur. For the INDIA bloc, RLP's Hanuman Beniwal and Congress's Murari Lal Meena were in the lead in their respective seats.

Jhunjhunu’s political landscape was long dominated by Congress’s Sis Ram Ola, a former Union minister who had a remarkable talent for remembering all his constituents by their first names. Ola won five consecutive parliamentary elections for Congress from 1996 to 2009. Following his passing in Dec 2013, BJP managed to clinch the Lok Sabha seat but faced challenges and had to change candidates in all subsequent elections. This time, the competition had intensified with Congress nominating Sis Ram’s son Brijendra Singh Ola, the current Jhunjhunu MLA. BJP has replaced incumbent MP Narendra Kumar with former legislator Shubhkaran Choudhary, who faced a backlash for a controversial remark about Rajputs, who are a significant support base for BJP. Polling on April 19 witnessed a turnout of 53%, prompting speculation on the reluctance of BJP’s core voters to engage in the electoral process.

“The results today will lay the foundation of strong and ‘Viksit Bharat’. The public of Bikaner is going to give its blessings to BJP,”

"Counting of votes for Lok Sabha elections will be done today. From the last 10 years, there have been many failures of the Modi government, remarks to change the Constitution, and absurd remarks by PM Modi and other leaders. They did not talk about unemployment, high inflation or farmers' income."

Traditionally ‘Pilot-ed’ by Congress, Dausa, which had swung BJP’s way in the last decade, is showing signs of change. This year’s Meena-vs-Meena clash — Congress has fielded five-time MLA and former state minister Murali Lal Meena against BJP’s ex-MLA and state minister Kanhaiya Lal Meena — is projected as a prestige battle for former deputy CM Sachin Pilot. Congress last won Dausa in 2004, when it elected Sachin Pilot at the age of 27. In 2009, the first polls to be held after delimitation, Kirori Lal Meena won as an Independent. In 2014 and in 2019, Harish Meena and Jaskaur Meena, respectively, won for BJP. Kirori Lal Meena has since moved to BJP and is a cabinet minister in the Bhajan Lal Sharma govt. With Pilot campaigning aggressively in Dausa and Kirori Lal Meena embarrassing BJP more than once by alleging corruption in govt schemes, local conditions appear to have changed, setting up a tight race to the finish.

The Independent candidate from Barmer Lok Sabha constituency, Ravindra Singh Bhati, alleged that the state government misused its machinery against him at every level in the recently held parliamentary election.Bhati, who is the sitting independent MLA from Sheo, claimed that both BJP and Congress fought the LS election together against him as they were up against the rise of a youth coming from a very humble background.Referring to a police case lodged against him for a demonstration held at Balotra, Bhati said a similar case should also have been lodged against Baytu MLA Harish Choudhary of Congress as he also had staged a demonstration at the district collectorate.

"Continuing the series from 2023 Vidhan Sabha elections, of making the BJP win, all workers are going ahead to make all the hard work fruitful on this last day...The workers have departed from here after they were all given 'saafa' and 'shagun'. We will definitely be victorious...BJP will form the government with a thumping majority."

One of the most keenly contested seats, Banswara has witnessed dramatic ups and downs since the LS polls were announced. A five-monthold outfit — Bharat Adivasi Party — has taken the region by storm. Congress’s initial pick for the seat defected to BJP, and its subsequent candidate, Arvind Damor, refused to withdraw his name from the draw even though his party declared a last-minute alliance with BAP, leaving three key contenders in the fray.The tight contest appears to be between INDIA/BAP’s Rajkumar Roat and BJP’s Mahendrajeet Malviya, the Congress turncoat. The tribaldominated seat has been at the centre of attention not only due to Congress’s errors, but because of PM Modi’s fiery speech where he accused Congress of planning to “snatch” from Hindu homes and redistribute it to Muslims. Though the statement was made in a constituency where families set considerable store by their silver, it seems to have found little traction, and issues that matter to youth are employment and improved infrastructure.

Like BJP, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla is hoping for a hat-trick. BJP turncoat Prahlad Gunjal, who recently switched to Congress, however, has skewed the playing field. Gunjal, a Gujjar who won twice on a BJP ticket from Kota North assembly seat, has been a staunch supporter of ex-CM Vasundhara Raje. In a constituency where Congress was struggling to find a suitable contender against Birla, Gunjal’s entry has set up in the ‘Hadauti’ region a pitched battle. Raje’s absence from BJP’s campaign is being seen as indirect support for Gunjal. With 20.9 lakh voters in Kota, Gunjal is targeting Congress’s traditional support base, particularly the 2.7 lakh Muslims, 2.3 lakh Meenas and over 2 lakh Brahmins.

Though Gujjars have traditionally backed BJP, Gunjal’s defection, many believe, will fetch Congress a chunk of their votes. Moreover, Sachin Pilot has thrown in his weight behind Gunjal. Birla’s track record and local roots, though, put him in a formidable position. Also at play are Gunjal’s feud with Congress MLA Shanti Dhariwal and lack of support from a section of Congress workers.

BJP party office in Rajasthan's Jaipur is decorated ahead of the Lok Sabha polls result.

This clash may have been initially dismissed as loaded in favour of BJP’s Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. However, anti-incumbency after a 10-year tenure as MP, fraught relations with local legislators, and a Rajput challenger in the form of Congress’s Karan Singh Uchiyarda, has set up a tight contest for the Jal Shakti minister. Uchiyarda, contesting his first election, has centred his campaign around promises Shekhawat did not deliver on, espe cially piped water to the arid region’s homes. Ahead of polling on April 26, Shekhawat has sought to turn the contest into a fight to protect ‘sanatan dharma’ and secure international boundaries. The fight, however, will depend on which side the dominant Rajputs and the Bishnois vote. Though pollsters still put Shekhawat ahead, he may have to contend with a considerably thinner margin, with his challenger keeping him on his toes.

Instead of the traditional Congress vs BJP battle, Barmer, in the middle of Thar desert, is set for a tripolar contest this time with the entry of 26-year-old Ravinder Bhati, who is contesting as an Independent. Bhati’s bite-sized ‘bhashans’ and swashbuckling style have not only enamoured youth, but also endeared traditionalists, mounting a tough challenge to BJP and Congress. BJP has renominated its sitting MP, Kailash Choudhary, while Congress has fielded Umedaram Beniwal, a recent convert from RLP. Bhati, the local Rajput, has challenged the two Jats and his ‘Jan Ashirwad Yatra’ has metamorphosed from an electoral campaign into a mass movement drawing massive crowds. Barmer has a mix of Jats, Rajputs, minorities, Scheduled Castes and other communities. Both Congress and BJP face challenges due to the significant influence of Jat leaders. The outcome remains to be seen.

Temperatures in the ‘Gateway to Thar’ are on the rise, but it is Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat who is feeling the heat most acutely. Seeking re-election from the Jodhpur Lok Sabha seat for a third consecutive term, Shekhawat travelled the length and breadth of his constituency, the second largest in terms of geographical expanse after neighbouring Barmer, to woo voters. It is a familiar territory for him, but a political upstart contesting his first election — Congress’ Karan Singh Uchiyarda — is keeping Shekhawat on the edge.

Dismissing exit poll figures and describing them as an attempt to create a "game of perception," State Congress President Govind Singh Dotasra, during an AICC meeting chaired by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, stated that the INDIA bloc will win 11-12 seats in Rajasthan and that there is a close contest in 8 seats, including the Jalore seat from where former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s son, Vaibhav Gehlot, is the candidate. Dotasra expressed confidence in the Congress-led alliance winning at least one seat more than the BJP in Rajasthan. The exit polls have predicted the Congress-led INDIA bloc winning two to seven seats in Rajasthan.

Congress and BJP have contested a neck-and-neck fight in this Jat-dominated seat, which is a part of the state’s semi-arid Shekhawati region. Sikar is one of the two seats in Rajasthan where INDIA has fielded a joint candidate. CPM’s Amra Ram is not only eyeing a revival of his own party’s fortunes, but also hoping to regain lost ground in the hotbed of farmer politics. INDIA is banking on anti-incumbency against the two-term BJP MP Sumedhanand Saraswati. This is also a prestige seat for state Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra, who has lately emerged as the party’s strongest Jat leader in the state. INDIA is perceived to be on firmer ground as a result of his and Amra Ram’s personal popularity. Both have been at the forefront of the farmers’ agitation in the region. There’s also ground-level anger against the Agnipath scheme of short-term recruitment in a region that has a deep-rooted connect with the armed forces. Several coaching centres that prepared youngsters for army recruitment exams have shut, winding down economic activity, and dampening BJP’s chances.