Lost to R'than govt, not BJP: Sachin Pilot

Accepting defeat in Dholpur, Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot on Thursday said that the party lost to the Government of Rajasthan and not the BJP.

He alleged that the BJP used the government machinery to influence voters in Dholpur.

BJP’s Shobha Rani Kushwaha won the Dholpur seat by a margin of 38,673 votes. Shobha is the wife of B L Kushwaha, former BSP legislator who held the seat until he was convicted of murder and disqualified.

Shobha managed to sweep 91,548 votes, while Congress candidate Banwari Lal Sharma could garner only 52,875 votes.

Pilot said, “We accept the mandate. But the Congress didn’t lose to the BJP, but to the Government of Rajasthan. Government machinery was misused and Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje herself was present till the voting day. She has violated the code of conduct.”

When DH asked Pilot if the Dholpur result has set the mood for the upcoming Assembly polls, he said, “If the BJP thinks this one election, which was massively managed by the government, reflects mood of the entire state, they’re mistaken.”

Meanwhile, Health Minister Kalicharan Saraf said the people of Dholpur voted for development. The constituency falls in Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje’s home turf.