Rajasthan election results: Congress wins, but who will be chief minister?

Jaipur: The Congress is headed towards victory in Rajasthan where it has managed wins and leads above the simple-majority mark, restricting the ruling BJP to less than 70 in the 199 seats that went to polls.

Rajasthan has a 200-member Assembly but polling on Alwar's Ramgarh constituency was postponed following the death of the BSP candidate.

Despite extensive electioneering, which involved Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the BJP has not managed to win the state.

The trend that the BJP and Congress parties are voted to power every five years will continue for another term.

Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot said people have given their mandate to the Congress and it would get the clear majority to form government.

“Congress will form the government. This is the mandate of public, which is in favour of the party. We will get clear majority and will also take along other parties or candidates who quit the BJP for us,” Gehlot told reporters.

The Rajasthan Congress legilative unit will meet on Wednesday, seek views of MLAs and senior leaders on who should be chief minister. The final decision will depend on the Congress highcommand, leaders said at a press meet in the evening, which was attended by the two CM hopefuls Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot.

In a major feat, Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria won the assembly elections for eighth term on Tuesday.

Kataria, 74, defeated Congress's Girija Vyas by 9,307 votes in Udaipur assembly seat. He has held various political portfolios under BJP governments and also served as the party state president.