Desert Stormed

Sachin Pilot beats back Narendra Modi’s appeal and Amit Shah’s election management skills to lead the Congress to victory

- Pratul Sharma

On December 8, a day after polling got over in Rajasthan, the BJP convened its grassroots warriors for their feedback on the number of seats it could win. A computer analysis of the data they provided gave the BJP 93 to 96 seats. It rekindled hopes within the BJP that it might buck the trend and retain power.

But when the results were announced on December 11, the BJP’s final tally stood at 73. The Vasundhara Raje government was ousted, with 20 of her 30 ministers losing their seats. Anger among dominant castes like the Rajputs and the agrarian crisis plaguing the state played a key role in the BJP’s defeat. Raje’s inaccessibility and non-delivery on key promises added to the resentment.

The Congress won 99 seats, falling just short of majority. “It could be because of ticket distribution, and rebels who contested against our official candidates,” said Avinash Pandey, the Congress general secretary in charge of Rajasthan.

Rajasthan has always voted out the party in power since 1998. Still, the Congress victory this time was made possible by the relentless efforts of the party’s state president Sachin Pilot, who had to face Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal and BJP president Amit Shah’s election management skills. Pilot, 41, infused the Congress with fighting spirit after taking charge in January 2014, following the massive loss suffered by the Congress government led by Ashok Gehlot in the 2013 elections.