Rajasthan: Smaller parties trying to make it tough for Congress, BJP

In the largely bipolar polity of Rajasthan, smaller parties are trying to forge a new political front which could queer the election pitch in the desert state.

Unlike other Hindi heartland states, smaller political parties have cornered at least 10-15% of vote share in Rajasthan, making them significant players in the run-up to government formation.

In 2018, in the 200-member assembly, 14 seats had been cornered by smaller parties. Thirteen independents had also won. This time, former allies of BJP and Congress are trying to come together to throw up a new alternative. BJP's former ally, Jat strongman Hanuman Beniwal's Rashtriya Loktantrik Party, is trying to forge an alliance with Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Congress' former ally Bharatiya Adivasi Party (BAP), a newly-minted tribal outfit.

Statistics of 2018 assembly elections give a peek into how significant this formation, if it comes together, could prove to be. BSP had won six seats and cornered 4% of the votes and Beniwal's party had won three seats with 2.4% votes.

Speaking to ET, Beniwal said, "I am in talks with BSP and BAP. We are trying to reach an understanding on seat sharing. This will be significant as we are united in our belief that we need to end the dominance of Congress and BJP in Rajasthan."

Beniwal has embarked on a Satta Parivartan Sankalp Yatra touching about 125 assembly segments. It will culminate in a mega rally on October 29 - the party's foundation day. Beniwal had parted ways with BJP over farm laws. Since the 2018 elections, Beniwal has won Khinwsar assembly byelection and finished second in one byelection and third in another byelection. Beniwal told ET that even if he is unable to forge an alliance, his party would contest all seats. In 2018, RLP had fought 58 seats, won 3 seats and finished second in two seats and was number 3 on 24 seats.

BSP had contested 189 seats and won 6 seats in 2018. Apart from these parties, Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM and AAP are also providing new alternatives in certain seats.