Rajasthan Assembly polls: A look at BJP, Congress' best-ever performance in state

Going by past results, Rajasthan is considered a swing state - where the power has kept shuffling between BJP and Congress after every alternate elections.

As Rajasthan heads for Assembly polls on November 25, the 5.2 crore voters of the desert state will be looking forward to exercise their right to franchise and elect their representatives.

The 200-seat Rajasthan Assembly is up for a high-stakes collision between the Congress and BJP juggernauts who are looking to claim the throne of the state.

Going by past results, Rajasthan is considered a swing state - where the power has kept oscillating between BJP and Congress after every alternate elections.

However, here, we'll take a step back to the past and have a look at Congress and BJP's best-ever performance in the state elections.

Congress

1. The Grand Old Party's best performance came in 1998 Assembly elections when it bagged 153 seats with a vote share of 45 per cent. In the same year, BJP only managed to win 33 seats at 33.2 per cent vote share.

2. Congress's second-best show of strength came way back in 1980 where it claimed 133 seats with a vote share of 43 per cent. Meanwhile, in the same polls, BJP won 32 seats with 18.6 per cent of vote share.

3. Winning 113 seats in the 1985 elections, Congress claimed Rajasthan throne this year with its third best-ever show in the state. However, BJP bettered itself this time and and won 39 seats.

BJP

1. The year 2013 was when BJP not just outperformed its arch nemesis Congress, but also shattered all poll records of Rajasthan.

Lead by Vasundhara Raje Scindia, the saffron party clean-swept the state to claim a mammoth 163-seat victory amounting to 46 per cent of vote share - a record that still stands to this day. Meanwhile, Congress was reduced to just 21 seats.

Scindia went on to become the Chief Minister of Rajasthan.

2. BJP's second-biggest victory in Rajasthan came during the 2003 polls. With a good 120 seats in its kitty and a vote share of 39.2 per cent, BJP managed to form the government quite comfortably this time.

Congress, on the other hand, could only bag 56 seats with a vote share of 35.6 per cent.

Barring the above two wins, BJP has never crossed the three-digit mark in Rajasthan while registering victory in Assembly polls.

As per poll pundits, BJP has a slight upper hand in Rajasthan this time, owing to the history of anti-incumbency in the state. Meanwhile, Congress too, will leave no stones unturned to claim their second successive victory in the desert state.

(Data and inputs from IndiaVotes)