"People fed up with how Cong turned Rajasthan into den of corruption": BJP's Baba Balak Nath ahead of counting day

By Suchitra Mukherjee
Alwar (Rajasthan) [India], December 3 : With less than 12 hours to the counting day, BJP leader and the party's candidate from the Tijara Assembly constituency of Rajasthan, Baba Balak Nath, on Saturday lashed out at the Congress saying the saffron party would form the government and rid the state of the incumbent.
Speaking to ANI on Saturday, Balak Nath claimed the ruling Congress had turned Rajasthan "into a den of corruption", adding, "The BJP will win more than 120 seats in Rajasthan. The people voted for change as they were fed up with the way the Congress had turned this state into a den of corruption and wanted to be rid of their rule. Atrocities against women were rampant and crime was at its peak under this government. With criminals running riot and public safety under threat, people voted to make a change and throw out the Congress."
Currently an MP from Alwar, Balak Nath is rumoured to be a contender for the chief minister if the BJP wrests Rajasthan from the Congress.
The MP met the party's general secretary, Organisation, BL Santosh at the BJP's state headquarters on Saturday.
Asked about his meeting with Santosh, he said it was a 'courtesy' call.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the face of the BJP and we will continue to work under his leadership. Our party top brass would take a call on the chief ministerial face. I am happy to be in the service of the people as an MP. I am happy giving back to society in my current capacity," Nath told ANI.
Speaking to ANI after casting his vote at a polling booth in Alwar last week, the BJP MP said, "There is great enthusiasm among people. It is us, the citizens of the country, who are the 'Bharat Bhagyavidhata'. I am convinced that the people of Rajasthan will vote for the BJP, as we are a party that is dedicated to development, good governance and law and order."
Hitting out at the Congress without taking names, he labelled the incumbent as a party of 'liars', saying, "People were waiting for the day when they could oust these liars and bring the BJP back to power in the state."
The ruling Congress is eyeing a second straight term while the BJP is seeking to unseat the Ashok Gehlot government.
Meanwhile, as the countdown began for the Assembly poll results in four states, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Saturday claimed that the people will vote in favour of the opposition INDIA bloc and the outcome will give strength and momentum to the alliance as it bids to unseat the BJP-led NDA from the Centre in the Lok Sabha elections next year.
Dismissing the BJP's claim that it was on course to secure an absolute majority in Congress-ruled Rajasthan, Gogoi said the grand old party will buck the anti-incumbency trend and return to power in the state.
Union Minister Anurag Thakur, too, weighed in on the exit-poll projections for Rajasthan, saying that the people in the desert state will soon be liberated from the Congress government and its 'loot'.
The exit polls reinforced the perception of a hard contest in Rajasthan, with differences in their prediction of the winner in the crucial Hindi heartland state that has a nearly three-decade tradition of not repeating an incumbent government.
While three exit polls predicted the BJP to be the clear winner, two others showed Congress was ahead in the sweepstakes to form the next government in the state.
The exit poll predictions showed that "others" including smaller parties and independents could play a crucial role in the formation of the government when the results are announced on December 3. Rajasthan went to the polls on 199 of 200 assembly seats on November 25.
Counting in four other states that went to the polls this month will also take place on December 3. The polls, held months before the Lok Sabha polls, are crucial for BJP and Congress for various reasons.