Still on a Tightrope

For Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, the three bypolls on April 17—in Rajsamand, Sahara and Sujangarh—may be a challenge comparable in scale and complexity to the BJP-backed rebellion in July 2020 by party counterweight Sachin Pilot.

- Rohit Parihar

The state assembly has 200 seats, of which the Congress currently holds 104 and the BJP, 71. However, six of the Congress MLAs are defectors from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). The validity of their entry into the Congress is currently sub-judice, giving the party a clear strength of 98, two short of the halfway mark.