New Delhi: When Union finance minister Arun Jaitley will be presenting the Modi government’s last full budget on Thursday, all eyes will also be on the outcome of the five crucial by-polls — three Lok Sabha and two assembly seats — in Rajasthan and West Bengal.
In Rajasthan, where Assembly elections are scheduled by the end of this year, chief minister Vasundahra Raje had campaigned aggressively in Ajmer and Alwar parliamentary constituencies and the Mandalgarh assembly seat, where voting took place on January 29.
These bypolls are seen as a crucial test for Ms Raje, who has been facing tough challenge from the opposition Congress. The BJP had registered its one of the best best performance in Rajasthan under Ms Raje’s leadership in 2013 when it won 163 of the total 200 Assembly seats and a year later won all the 25 parliamentary seats. However, many feel that the state government is facing anti-incumbency and the Congress is in a resurgent mode. Political observers also feel that BJP Chief Minister has gone into a defensive mode as the bypolls are a battle of prestige for Ms Raje.
Also, the by-polls took place at a time when the state was facing major stir by the powerful Rajput community over the release of Padmaavat. Some Rajput organisations had even announced that they will vote against the BJP.
