Rajendra Rathore wins Churu seat by 24,000 votes.

BJP’s Rajendra Rathore defeating his nearest rival of Congress and sitting MLA Hazi Maqbool Mandelia with a margin of over 24,000 votes, in the Churu Assembly election, polling for which was held on Friday, saffron party’s tally has now swollen to 163 in the 200-member state Assembly. 

Election at Churu had been postponed following the death of BSP candidate Jagdish Meghwal and polling with 78.55 per cent was held on December 13. 

BJP candidate and former PWD minister Rajendra Rathore defeated his nearest rival of Congress and sitting MLA Manddelia by a huge margin of over 24,000 votes. Notably, the security of seven other candidates was forfeited as they failed to secure the required number of votes.

Early in the day the counting of casted votes started and Rathore, by the fourth round, was leading by a margin of 9,333 votes against his nearest rival and sitting legislator Mandelia. When the final result poured in, Rathore had won the seat by getting 84,100 votes, while the sitting legislator Mandelia secured 60,098 votes.

Rathore is considered a close confidant of chief minister Vasundhara Raje and was also a sitting MLA from Taranagar Assembly constituency. However, he changed his seat and the party fielded him against Mandelia from Churu. The voting for Churu constituency would have happened on December 1 but it was postponed following the demise of BSP candidate Jagdish Meghwal and polling was held on Decembewr 13. Notably, on November 16, Meghwal, was travelling by a bus to Churu from Jhunjhunu when he started vomiting. He was referred to government hospital in Churu, where doctors declared him dead. After the incident the elections in Churu constituency were deferred.

BJP’s state president Vasundhara Raje was sworn-in as the chief minister of Rajasthan on December 13. The Cabinet formation is still pending and there is a strong possibility that Rathore will now be inducted as a Cabinet minister since he was the PWD minister in the previous Vasundhara Raje government and is known to be trusted aide of Raje.