Jaipur, May 17 (Inditop) Congress candidate and union minister Namonarain Meena defeated Gujjar leader K.S. Bainsla of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by a margin of 317 votes in Rajasthan’s Tonk-Sawai Madhopur seat Sunday but the BJP asked for recounting of votes, a poll official said.
Counting in the constituency was stopped Saturday after one of the electronic voting machines (EVMs) developed a snag. When the counting was conducted again Sunday, Meena was found to have won by 317 votes.
“The BJP had sought a recount. We will take a decision in this regard soon,” an Election Commission official told IANS.
BJP’s Bainsla had led the violent agitations by Gujjars in the state demanding tribal status for the community, which is presently classified as other backward caste.
On Saturday, the Congress swept Rajasthan by winning 19 of the state’s 25 Lok Sabha seats and routing the opposition BJP.
In 2004, the Congress had won four and the BJP the remaining 21 parliamentary seats.