Tonk, Rajasthan Assembly Election Result 2023: Sachin Pilot wins Tonk seat by a margin of 29,237 votes

Senior Congress leader and former Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan Sachin Pilot won the Tonk constituency in Rajasthan, the Election Commission of India announced.

According to the Election Commission's website, Pilot won the Tonk seat by a margin of 29,237 votes against Ajit Singh Mehta of BJP after 20th round of counting in the state.

The Congress leader secured a total of 1,04,448 votes.

Rajasthan held assembly elections on November 25 with former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot facing off against BJP leader Ajit Singh Mehta. The Congress hopes to secure a second term at the helm of affairs in Rajasthan as votes are counted on December 3. Pilot had beaten BJP's Yoonus Khan by a margin of 54,179 votes to secure the seat in 2018.

Union minister & BJP leader Gajendra Singh Shekhawat offered prayers at Jaipur's Govind Dev Ji temple on counting day (December 3).

“The BJP should stop worrying about me. My party and the people will worry about me…I am very positive about the result. Currently, our issue is the development of the state,” Pilot told news agency ANI on the final day of campaign in the state.

Also Read | Tonk, Rajasthan Assembly Election Result 2023 LIVE Updates: Counting to begin at 8 am

The Congress campaign, he added later, was “very positive” and likely to persuade voters. Pilot also said that Rajasthan would buck the trend of changing governments every five years and vote the present government back to power.

ALSO READ: Rajasthan Polls: Over 68% voter turnout, 2 deaths mark battle between Cong, BJP

The western state has been voting the incumbent governments out of power in every Assembly election since 1998.

Who are the key candidates from the Tonk constituency?

The Tonk Assembly constituency is likely to see a tussle between sitting MLA Sachin Pilot and BJP candidate Ajit Singh Mehta. Reports indicate this could be a tough fight – especially when compared to the landslide victory the Congress had garnered in 2018.

A recent Moneycontrol report suggests that Pilot has lost favour with many voters in the area. Many alleged that their MLA had been rather inaccessible as the party remained locked in an internal tussle for much of their five-year tenure.

“Our community mostly votes for the Congress, and without looking at the candidate’s religion. Even when the BJP nominated Yunus Khan, we didn’t support him. We used to think Congress leaders were accessible, but Pilot changed our perception,” the publication quoted one resident as saying.

ALSO READ: Congress vs BJP: The long-standing and only rivalry in Rajasthan Elections

According to a few exit polls, the BJP is likely to oust the Congress this year — keeping up with the trend of alternating government in the state. However, the poll of polls revealed that there might be a hung assembly in the state, wherein no party cross the majority mark. The poll of polls showed a neck-and-neck fight between the BJP and the Congress. While the BJP could win 91-92 seats, the Congress may bag 93-94 seats in the state.

(With inputs from agencies)