JAIPUR: Incumbent chief minister Vasundhara Raje, her predecessor from Congress, Ashok Gehlot, and Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Sachin Pilot face an acid test with the state going to polls on Friday.The stakes are high for all the three leaders, who have an important political point to prove not just among the voters but within their own parties.While Raje, who is leading the state BJP for the fourth consecutive election, faces a tough battle to retain her chair, Gehlot and Pilot — the strongest contenders for the CM’s post if Congress comes to power — are competing with each other to claim the coveted post.Meanwhile, Telangana with over 2.80 crore voters will also go to polls today. Telangana has 51,796 polling stations, an increase of 14.25% over the previous election in 2013. In Telangana, the political fortunes of 1,821 candidates will be decided in 119 constituencies in the first election after the state was formed.In the desert state, which over the past 25 years has earned a reputation of voting the ruling party out, Congress is believed to have an edge. The general perception following the clean sweep in recent bypolls held in the state has gone in favour of the opposition party. The ruling party, on its part, had roped in senior leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah, to counter the general perception, saying it was a “lie” spread by the opposition.What has gone against the two main political parties is the not-so-subtle leadership tussle, reflected in almost all electionrelated decisions, including ticket distribution.Rebellion among senior members is also proving to be tough for both parties. BJP’s former members Ghanshyam Tiwari and Hanuman Beniwal have both floated their own political parties and have fielded candidates in more than 55 seats. Four of the state ministers – Surendra Goyal, Hem Singh Bhadana, Dhan Singh Rawat and Raj Kumar Rinwa — who were denied tickets, are contesting as independent candidates.Jaipur: Similarly, in Congress, former Union minister Mahadev Singh Khandela, former state ministers Babu Lal Nagar and C S Baid, ex-MLAs Sanyam Lodha, Nathuram Sinodia, Ramesh Chand Khandelwal and Khushveer Singh and former governor Kamala Beniwal’s son Alok, among others, were denied tickets and are contesting asindependents. Severalseatsin the state will witness interesting fights with both Congress and BJPfielding candidatesin calculated moves against each other.

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