Sachin Pilot asks if Yogi Adityanath will campaign for BJP’s Yoonus Khan in Tonk

Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot, who is contesting Tonk against Yoonus Khan, the BJP’s only Muslim candidate in the state election, has repeatedly challenged the BJP to say whether Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath would come to Tonk to campaign for Khan.

A day on the campaign trail

On Wednesday, Pilot toured nine panchayats and the town itself, accusing the BJP of exploiting caste and religion. He framed the contest as a clash of ideologies rather than personalities. It is his first assembly election, and the seat lies outside his usual parliamentary base. His meetings drew large crowds in both town and villages, and his convoy was often halted by people waiting to garland him or chant slogans.

Villagers greeted him in unusual ways, putting him on a bullock cart and a rath and weighing him against fruit. At each stop he asked voters to give him the largest victory margin in the state. Supporters in the town hoped that a possible chief ministerial contender would bring development to an area short of infrastructure.

Attack on the Raje government

Starting at Ariyali gram panchayat, Pilot criticised the Vasundhara Raje government on unemployment, corruption and farmer suicides. He said that people had expected development with the BJP in power both at the Centre and in the state, but that farmers had been driven to suicide. He also pointed to the scarcity of urea and the rising cost of fuel, saying a gas cylinder now cost Rs 1,000.

The Adityanath challenge

At Hamirpur panchayat, Pilot recalled being asked what he would do after the BJP named Khan. “I said I will sit back and see that whether Yogi Adityanath will come to Tonk to ask for votes for him (Khan) or not,” he said. The BJP’s choice of Khan was seen as an attempt to split the votes of Tonk’s roughly 55,000 Muslim voters.

What happened next

The Congress won 99 seats statewide to the BJP’s 73, and Ashok Gehlot became Chief Minister.

Originally published on 30 November 2018. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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