Rajasthan polls: five new parties formed

Ahead of the Assembly polls, slated for later this year, smaller parties in Rajasthan are also gearing up besides the Congress and the BJP.

The number of small political parties is constantly on the rise. As many as five new political parties have been registered with the Election Commission of India (ECI) from Rajasthan in last one-and-a-half months.

As per ECI report, between June 20, 2018 to August 3, 2018, the five parties that have been registered are Bhartiya Jan Satta Party (Sikar), Savashakti Dal (Jaipur), Abhinav Rajasthan Party (Nagaur), Bharat Vahini Party (Jaipur) and Panch Party (Karauli).

In the 2008 Assembly elections, 42 parties, including eight state-level parties, fielded 129 candidates. However, the score went up in the last Assembly election held in 2013, when the number of parties increased to 56, including 10 state-level parties, which fielded 258 candidates. They won four seats and received 4.95% votes.

Interestingly, the total vote share of such parties in 2008 assembly polls was 4.2% and the vote share increased to 6.99% in 2013 elections.

Out of these newly formed parties, BVP, led by former BJP leader and four times MLA, Ghanshyam Tiwari, is planning to field candidates in majority of the assembly seats. "We are all set to roll out. We have started district meetings. I try to interact with all sections during my ongoing yatra," Tiwari said. He also started his Rajasthan Gaurav Yatra a day before CM Vasundhara Raje's yatra. Tiwari even accused Raje of stealing his yatra's name.

However, neither BJP nor Congress are willing to spare much thoughts on the formation of local parties. "In Rajasthan, the elections have been between two major parties and this time too there will not be much role for local parties," Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje told DH.

Vote share

However political analysts have a different perspective to share, "Both big wigs - Congress and BJP will suffer due to formation of small parties. There is a dip in the vote share because of local parties. Both Congress and BJP can lose 2-3 % vote share. And it becomes crucial for both the parties when there is a neck and neck competition," opined Om Saini, senior political analyst and former journalist.

Moreover, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has already announced 17 candidates for the 2018 polls. Earlier in 2013, they fielded five candidates for five seats.