Clean sweep by the BJP in Rajasthan

Jaipur, May 16 (IANS) The BJP Friday made a clean sweep in Rajasthan by winning all the 25 Lok Sabha seats from the desert state.

The Congress, on the other hand, recorded its worst defeat in the state's history.

The Congress won 20 seats in 2009 and the party's lowest tally was one in the post-Emergency 1977 elections.

Prominent Congress leaders who lost included union ministers Sachin Pilot (Ajmer), Girja Vyas (Chittorgarh), Bhanwar Jitendra Singh (Alwar) and Chandresh Kumari (Jodhpur), and party leaders Namonarain Meena (Dausa) and former India cricket captain Mohd. Azharuddin (Tonk-Sawai Madhopur).

Prominent BJP leaders who won included sitting MP from Bikaner Arjun Ram Meghwal and Dushyant Singh, son of Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, from Jhalwar-Baran constituency.

The biggest win was by Ramcharan Bohra of the BJP who defeated Mahesh Joshi of the Congress by over 5.36 lakh votes in Jaipur.

"We accept the people's mandate. I accept defeat and take responsibility for the election results. We never expected this kind of results... look at the results... the big margins our candidates have lost. It is time for introspection," state Congress president Sachin Pilot said at a press conference.

"No one expected this kind of result," said political analyst Ravi Goswami.

"It seems anti-incumbency against the centre, and the Narendra Modi wave contributed to the defeat of the Congress in the state," he said.

Chief Minister and BJP leader Vasundhara Raje said: "We were working on a mission 25... we are happy to achieve it. This win is of the public, the people. This win is the result of the hard work of the BJP workers. I thank them all for the big win."

"We under the leadership of Modiji will work for the betterment and development of the country," she said.

Celebrations broke out at the BJP office in Jaipur. Shouting slogans like "Modi Modi" and "Vasundhara Raje Zindabad", BJP workers burst fire-crackers and danced to the beat of drums.

"We are very happy and are sure that good days are coming," said a BJP supporter.

In the recent assembly elections held in December, the BJP won 163 of the 200 assembly seats in the state.