Click to play videoJaipur: Counting of votes for the Assembly elections in Rajasthan began on Monday morning amid adequate security arrangements.
Former Chief minister Ashok Gehlot (Congress) has been declared elected from Sardarpura (127) defeating his nearest rival Rajendera Gehlot (BJP) by 14,440 votes. Congress retains the seat.
The Congress is leading in 96 seats as opposed to BJP's 77. The trend is being attributed to anti-incumbency against BJP CM Vasundhara Raje. Congress' Ashok Gehlot is likely to be the party's CM candidate though no official announcement has been made yet
[High Command will pick the CM: Gehlot]
Prominent among those who have established early leads were Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje (Jhalrapatan), All India Congress Committee General Secretary Ashok Gehlot (Sardarpura), BJP Mahila Morcha chief Kiran Maheshwari (Rajasmand), Food and Civil Ghanshyam Tiwari, Supplies Minister and sitting BJP MP Nihal Chand (Raisinghnagar-SC).
Assembly Speaker Sumitra Singh (BJP) was, however, trailing in Mandawa constituency.
A total of 2193 candidates, including 154 women, are trying their luck in the 200 Assembly constituencies.
The ruling BJP had contested 193 seats, leaving the remaining seven for their Nantional Democratic Alliance partners - Indian National Lok Dal (four) and the Janata Dal-United (three).
The Opposition Congress had fielded its candidates in all the 200 seats, followed by Bahujan Samaj Party (199), Nationalst Congress Party (39), Communist Party of India-Marxist (34) and Communist Party of India (21).
Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the counting of votes for the 200 constituencies in the state where polling was held on December 4, state election officials said. [Rajasthan: Key contests, candidates and trends]
The counting process commenced at 0800 hrs IST and most of the results are expected to be out by 1400 hrs IST.
Counting centres had been set up in all the 33 district headquarters where the EVMs had already been put in place.
The counting for different constituencies is being held in separate halls at the counting centres at the respective district headquarters.
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