Rajasthan Election Result 2023: BJP crosses halfway mark in a big setback to Ashok Gehlot-led Congress

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has crossed the majority mark in Rajasthan in early trends, with leads now extending to 101 seats. The saffron party, which had lost power to Congress in 2018, is making a comeback as the grand old party has slipped below the 90 mark. The results would be a big setback for Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who was hoping to make history by returning to power for the second consecutive term - which has never happened in the past. Rajasthan has a history of rotating governments every five years.

Also Read | Election Result 2023 Live: BJP goes past halfway mark in MP, Rajasthan; Congress achieves feat in Chhattisgarh, Telangana

For Congress, anything less than 100 seats will be troubling as it may fail to secure support from independents. The BJP, as of now, looks comfortably placed with leads on 95-plus seats. As per trends, the Congress is leading on just 81 seats, 18 down from what it had got in the 2018 assembly elections.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is leading from Sardarpura, and BJP's prominent leader Vasundhara Raje is ahead in the Jhalrapatan assembly seat. Former Congress Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot is trailing from the Tonk assembly seat in early trends.

Rajasthan BJP President CP Joshi, who is leading from his seat, said his party will win over 135 seats.

In the 2018 elections, the BJP had won 73 seats in Rajasthan. If the party manages to hold on to its lead, it will form the next government - a significant development that will boost the morale of the BJP cadre ahead of the big finale in 2024.