Independents have won four seats and are leading in another nine seats in the Rajasthan Assembly Election 2018 (as of 6.15 pm). This marks a rise in number of independent winners. In the 2013 Assembly Elections, seven independents won.
The anti-incumbency factor seems clear, going by this trend. BJP had in 2013 won in 10 of the 13 seats where independents are leading/won in the current election. This means that for each of these 10 seats that the independents convert into a win, it will be a seat lost by BJP.
One of the factors playing a role in the success of independents is also the fact that in 2013, 768 independents took part in the election. In the 2018 poll, this number increased to 829 candidates, an 8% rise.
As of 6.15 pm, the Congress was leading overall, with a lead or victory in 97 seats out of 199, while the BJP was leading in or had won 75 seats. However, the vote shares were similar. While the Congress had a 39.2% vote share, the BJP had managed to get 38.8%.
Many of these candidates were Congress rebels. Raj Kumar Gaur, Mahadeo Singh, Babulal Nagar, Bajeet Yadav, Kushveer Singh, Sanyam Lodha, Ramlila Khadiya, Laxman Meena, and Ramkesh Meena contested as independents as they were unhappy with Congress party's distribution of tickets.
Om Prakash Hudla, on the other hand, is a BJP rebel candidate.
