Jaipur, Nov 13: Asserting that the Congress had fielded better candidates than the BJP, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has expressed optimism that the party will return to power with more than 153 seats in the 200-member assembly. ''Our candidates will dominate over the BJP's candidates,'' he maintained during a chat with reporters here last night. The fact that senior BJP leaders have changed their constituencies for ''safer seats'', and the infighting over tickets, have already created an ''environment of defeat'' in the opposition camp, he said.
While the Congress is upbeat, the BJP camp is in a despondent mood, he quipped.
''Our effort is to win more than that,'' he said when asked whether the party's strength in the assembly could come down from the present 153 members. Denying large-scale disaffection in his party after the distribution of tickets, he said, ''By and large everyone is satisfied.''
He said the polls will be fought on the issue of development. ''People will vote on the basis of issues,'' he said, asking voters to compare the five years of Congress rule with the BJP rule of the past. Bureau Report