EC announces Rajasthan Election 2023 dates: Voting on November 23, verdict on December 3

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday (October 9) announced the schedule for Rajasthan assembly election, setting the stage for the last major electoral exercise ahead of the 2024 national elections. The state will go to polls on November 23, 2023 and the counting of votes will be held on December 3.

Here is the full schedule of Rajasthan Assembly election 2023:

Date of issue of gazette notification - October 30, 2023
Last date of making nomination - November 6, 2023
Date of scrutiny of nominations - November 7, 2023
Date of poll - November 23, 2023
Date of counting - December 3, 2023
Date before which election shall be completed - December 5, 2023

EC announces Madhya Pradesh Election 2023 dates: Voting on November 17, verdict on December 3

In 2018, Rajasthan conducted its state elections on December 7. The Indian National Congress (INC) emerged as the single largest party with 100 seats, falling just one seat short of an absolute majority. On the other hand, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured 73 seats, a significant decrease compared to the previous election when they won 163 seats. The Congress managed to form the government with the support of the Bahujan Samaj Party.

During the Rajasthan assembly polls, 22 candidates contested as independents after failing to secure tickets from either the BJP or the Congress. Surprisingly, 11 of these independent candidates emerged victorious.

From the Congress, 11 individuals contested as independents, with 10 of them achieving victory. Likewise, 12 BJP rebels ran as independent candidates, and one among them was successful.

Prominent among the successful independent candidates from the Congress were Raj Kumar Gaur, Mahadeo Singh, Babulal Nagar, Baljeet Yadav, Khushveer Singh, Sanyam Lodha, Ramila Khadiya, Laxman Meena, Alok Beniwal, and Ramkesh Meena. These candidates secured their wins with substantial margins.

The Congress took disciplinary action against eleven of its rebel MLAs, suspending their primary membership for a period of six years. Among the BJP rebels, only Om Prakash Hudla managed to secure a victory, defeating BJP's Rajendra by a margin of 9,985 votes.

EC announces Telangana Election 2023 dates: Voting on November 30, verdict on December 3

In December 2018, the senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Rajasthan in a historic ceremony held at the Albert Hall in Jaipur. The event witnessed the presence of senior Congress leaders and prominent figures from the opposition.