Rajasthan Poll: As Counting Begins, Cong, BJP Reach Out To independents, Smaller Parties oneindia.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from oneindia.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The 53-year-old former Union minister secured 1,47,913 votes and defeated his nearest rival Abhishek Choudhary of the Congress. BJP rebel Ashu Singh Surpura, who contested as an independent candidate, stood in the third position with 55,159 votes. Rathore is a national spokesperson of the BJP. Before entering politics in September 2013, the ace shooter and former Olympic silver medallist served in the Army for 23 years. He took voluntary retirement in 2013.
On the eve of the counting of votes in Rajasthan, both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress have started reaching out to independent candidates, including rebels, and smaller parties.