Nearly 40 rebels from both parties have contested elections after being denied tickets and have put up a tough fight. With several exit polls predicting a tight race between the BJP and the Congress, MLAs from this group could play a crucial role.
BJP candidate Rameshwar Sharma says, "There will be a shower of blessings & BJP government will be formed...What has Congress given to the people in its 62 years of politics?..."
For minute-to-minute updates on Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls, follow live updates here.
Follow all the latest updates on Chhattisgarh Assembly election results here.
Some glimpses from the states where vote count will be held shortly
A security officer stands guard outside a strong room, where Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are kept.
EVMs and other election material kept at distribution centre on the eve of voting for Rajasthan Assembly elections, in Bikaner.
Security personnel outside a strong room where Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are kept, a day before the Chhattisgarh Assembly election results, in Jagdalpur, Saturday,.
Preparation underway on the eve of counting day of Kerala Assembly Polls, in Kochi. Credit: PTI Photo
Who counts votes in an election?
The Returning Officer (RO) is responsible for counting votes after conducting the elections in a particular constituency. The RO is usually a government official or some local authority the ECI nominates following consultation with the state government.
How are the votes counted?
The RO decides where the votes for a constituency will be counted and the ECI fixes the date and time. Vote counting usually takes place under the direct supervision of the RO.
However, in some situations, if counting takes place in multiple locations in a constituency, then it may also take place under the supervision of the Assistant Returning Officer (ARO).
The vote counting for a constituency usually takes place in a single hall.
If the situation demands it, the number of counting halls and the number of tables needed for counting can be increased with the ECI's permission.
Tune in to DH as we bring the fastest and latest updates on the Telangana Assembly polls. Follow this link for live updates from the southern state.
Counting of votes in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Telangana will begin shortly, unveiling the strengths and shortcomings of the BJP and its main rival Congress ahead of Lok Sabha elections and giving it indications about tweaking its strategies.
The results will have ramifications for parties and leaders like Kamal Nath, Ashok Gehlot, Bhupesh Baghel, A Revanth Reddy (all Congress) and Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Vasundhara Raje, Raman Singh (all BJP) and and K Chandrasekhar Rao (BRS).
"The public has blessed BJP with complete majority. Misgovernance and injustice will lose; Good governance and justice will prevai," says Rajasthan BJP chief C P Joshi.
On early trends, BRS MP K Keshava Rao says, "I will not get into the figures now because I would not undermine the surveys. You have your own studies, I have mine...As far as the surveys are concerned, you have given Congress a lead. But as per my studies, we have a comfortable majority to get into power...Congress is fighting a lone battle, they have no supporters. They have to get the seats all by themselves...But BJP and AIMIM are sure to support us in case of need..."
On Congress' lead, he says, "We have to congratulate them. This is not a joke...They have done a great job. We are coming down, they have gone up. This has to be accepted because the figures will say. There is no question of hiding those things."
(ANI)
Here is the latest EC trends:
Rajasthan - BJP is at 61, Congress + 51
Madhya Pradesh- BJP (58), Cong (53)
(Please note- the trends are quickly changing, with both parties closing in on the margin at a fast rate)
Madhya Pradesh - BJP (97), Congress (81)
Rajasthan- BJP (94), Congress (79)
"The situation is very clear in Chhattisgarh. The exit polls have predicted that the Congress, which won 68 seats (in 2018 Assembly polls) and is claiming to win 75 (in 2023 Assembly polls), will likely be restricted to 40-42 seats this time. This is a big downfall," Singh told news agency PTI.
In Telangana where BRS is facing a tough fight from Congress, the grand old party has taken lead from 15 seats, while BRS is restricted to 9 thus far. BJP has just opened account with one seat in Adilabad.
From here, the show only gets interesting and it remains to be seen if the southern state will see a return of BRS govt or make way for the Congress.
For more updates, follow live updates here
As BJP leads in Madhya Pradesh polls, Union Minister and party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia says, "We knew that as far as Madhya Pradesh is concerned, given the public welfare schemes of our double engine government - people's blessings will be with us... I am confident that their blessings will be with the BJP and we will form the government with absolute majority."
On Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, he says, "Unki har ek bad-dua ka main swagat karta hoon aur Digvijaya Singh ji ko apne dil ki gehraiyon se shubhkaamna bhi data hoon."
BJP has maintained an impressive show in Hindi heartland Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, with the party crossing half-way mark in both the states. Rest assured, the Congress needs to catch up to the BJP if it indeed needs to solidify its standing in the opposition alliance I.N.D.I.A ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
As predicted by exit polls surveys, Congress is taken a big lead and the incumbent BRS led by KCR looks headed for a defeat.
Congress is ahead in Chhattisgarh, with lead from 56 seats; BJP has been restricted to 34 seats.
Rajasthan-
After trailing for a bit, Pilot now leading in Tonk
Vasundhara Raje leading by over 10,000 votes in Jhalrapatan seat
Madhya Pradesh -
Kamal Nath leads on home turf Chhindwara
Shivraj Singh Chouhan leads in Budhni
Telangana -
KCR trails from Kamareddy
Madhya Pradesh
The BJP surged ahead in MP, with leads in 146 seats. The Congress, meanwhile, had leads in 82 seats.
Rajasthan
Rajasthan too, the BJP surged ahead, leading in 107 seats as opposed to the Congress's 74.
Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh appeared to be headed for a return of the Congress government, with the grand old party leading in 51 seats as compared to the BJP's 39 leads.
Telangana
Telangana, where exit polls predicted a victory for the Congress, saw the grand old party surge ahead of the ruling BRS. At the time of writing, the Congress was leading in 70 seats in the southern state, while the BRS was trailing far behind with 38. The BJP, meanwhile, had leads in 8 seats, while the AIMIM was leading in 3. Interestingly, sitting CM KCR is currently leading in one of the two seats he is contesting from.
Ex-BJP state president Satish Poonia is trailing in the Amber assembly seat by 921 votes, according to the EC trends on Sunday. Poonia is pitted against Congress' Prashant Sharma, who is leading with 16,100 votes.
BJP's Kirodi Lal Meena is leading in the Sawai Madhopur seat with a margin of 1,177 votes.
In the Tonk seat, Ajit Singh Mehta is trailing by a margin of 943 votes. Mehta is pitted against Congress leader and former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot.
Pilot is leading with 8,775 votes in two of 20 rounds.
Among other BJP contestants who are leading is Subhash Maharia, who is leading on the Lacchmangarh seat with a margin of 198 votes. PCC president Govind Singh Dotasra is contesting as the Congress candidate on this seat.
Maharia, with 4579 votes, is leading in one of 24 rounds. (PTI)
The Congress was leading against its rival BRS in Telangana on Sunday even as Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao was trailing in Kamareddy constituency. Telangana Congress chief Revanth Reddy was ahead of his nearest rivals in both Kodangal and Kamareddy constituencies.
As per EC's latest update, the national party was leading in 70 while BRS in 39 seats. AIMIM is ahead in 3 seats.
The Chandrasekhar Rao-led Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) has been in power since 2014, when Telangana was granted statehood and won the 2018 elections as well and is hopeful of a hattrick. The Congress had mounted a spirited election campaign with a view to unseat the near decade-old incumbent, even as the BJP also launched a no holds-barred attack against the ruling dispensation.
BJP workers and supporters outside the party headquarters during counting of votes for the Rajasthan Assembly elections, in Jaipur, Sunday.
Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat arrives at BJP headquarters during counting of votes for the Rajasthan Assembly elections, in Jaipur, Sunday.
BJP workers and supporters outside the party headquarters during counting of votes for the Rajasthan Assembly elections, in Jaipur, Sunday.
Looking back at the results of the Assembly polls, Karnataka Minister and Congress leader Sharanprakash Rudrappa Patil said, "Congress is forming the govt and we are probably winning more than 70 seats. The party is united and with collective effort, Congress has come back to power in Telangana. Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are definitely a setback to Congress... There'll be a meeting of CLP then the Congress high command will discuss with the MLAs and decide that (CM)."
Congress leader Acharya Pramod Krishnam has blamed the grand old party's stance on Sanatan Dharma for the party's dismal performances in the Hindi heartland states of MP, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. "Opposing Sanatan (Dharma) has sunk the party. This country has never accepted caste-based politics...This is the curse of opposing Sanatan (Dharma)."
On election results in 4 states, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh says, "This is the success of guarantee given by PM Modi. PM Modi does what he says...Rising above caste and religion, people voted for PM Modi..."
MP incumbent Chief Minister and BJP candidate from Budhni Shivraj Singh Chouhan says, "BJP is going to get a huge mandate. PM Modi is in the minds of the people in Madhya Pradesh... It is the victory of PM Modi's leadership. It is the result of Union Home Minister Amit Shah's planning... Results do not come for one day, they come after continuous better work..."
On BJP's big lead in Madhya Pradesh, CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan's son, Kartikey Chouhan says, "The credit for this win goes to PM Modi, the party leadership and Ladli Behens of the state."
"Country's trust, Modi's guarantee," Jaishankar said in a post on X.
Madhya Pradesh- BJP(161), Congress(66)
Rajasthan- BJP(112), Congress(72)
Chhattisgarh- BJP(53), Congress(34)
Telangana- Congress(66), BRS(390
BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday claimed that the BJP's performance in the assembly elections of three states will have an impact on the political situation in West Bengal, where a "Modi tsunami" was waiting to happen in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Speaking to reporters, Adhikari thanked the Bengali community of Chhattisgarh, claiming that their overwhelming support for the BJP played a decisive role in the assembly elections of that state
"I received a call from the BJP leaders in Chhattisgarh, thanking me for the Bengal factor," he said.
(PTI)
Union Minister Anurag Thakur says, "The country has faith in PM Modi. All states have shown that only one guarantee works and that is Modi's guarantee. People want a double-engine government. Congress' guarantees have failed....people have rejected the Congress governments. Now those who want to go abroad for vacation can go...People have shown Congress that if you do caste-based politics, there is only one answer. People want good governance, development and double-engine government of PM Modi."
The Trinamool Congress claimed that the BJP's bright show in Assembly polls in three states is more of a "failure" of the Congress than a success story of the saffron party. The BJP was racing towards power in the Hindi heartland states of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and had a distinct edge in Chhattisgarh.
"In the three states, it is more of a failure of the Congress than a success story of the BJP," TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said in a social media message.
BJP maintains distinct edge over Congress in Chhattisgarh. For full coverage, follow Telangana result updates here.
Madhya Pradesh Assembly election results are pointing towards a thumping victory for the incumbent BJP. The saffron party is poised to create history by returning to power in the state for the fifth time.
Meanwhile, speculations are rife on who will likely be the next CM in MP. BJP went to the polls without a CM face contrary to Congress which projected Kamal Nath as their candidate.
Results have started pouring in Telangana, with Congress having won 2 seats and BRS one. For more details on the result from southern state here is the full coverage link.
With the BJP poised for a win in three Hindi heartland states following the assembly polls there, the ruling CPI(M) in Kerala on Sunday said that Congress's decision to go at it alone to defeat the saffron party was the sole reason for the present outcome.
The CPI(M), a part of the I.N.D.I.A bloc, also alleged that "infighting" within the grand old party, "hunger for power" and some of its leader's working as "undercover agents of the BJP", all led to the present outcome in the assembly polls in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
"Grateful to the people of Telangana for giving @BRSparty two consecutive terms of Government 🙏
Not saddened over the result today, but surely disappointed as it was not in expected lines for us. But we will take this in our stride as a learning and will bounce back
Congratulations to Congress party on winning the mandate. Wishing you Good Luck," KTR says in a post on X.
With the Congress faring badly in the latest edition of Assembly elections in the Hindi heartland, the leaders of the I.N.D.I.A will meet here on Wednesday to find ways to bring the Opposition alliance back on track after remaining inactive for the past three months.
Congress may not be going into the meeting with an upper hand as it expected, with the party being unable to break the shackles in the one-on-one fight against BJP though it managed to drown BRS, a regional player, in Telangana.
Follow complete coverage on Assembly elections 2023 results on Deccan Herald's WhatsApp channel through this link.
Union Minister Ramdas Athawale says elections in 5 states were a "rehearsal of the upcoming Lok Sabha election", adding the "whole country has accepted the leadership of PM Modi".
"...We were sure we would get a good majority in 3 states (Rajasthan, MP and Chhattisgarh)...PM Modi will become PM again, 100% sure and we have planned to teach a lesson to the INDIA alliance and Rahul Gandhi who keep insulting PM Modi...in the upcoming election in April, we will win 330-350 seats approximately ."
On the future of the I.N.D.I.A bloc, National Conference Vice President and former J&K CM Omar Abdullah says, "I cannot say anything. The situation of the I.N.D.I.A bloc in the state elections, if the same continues in the future, then we will not be able to save ourselves... The Congress could not understand the ground situation in Madhya Pradesh. What would have they lost if they had given 5-7 seats to Akhilesh Yadav... They have lost anyway. It is possible that if Akhilesh Yadav was given a few seats, we could save ourselves a little in MP. Now the results are out...."
In a separate message for people of Telangana, Modi writes, "My dear sisters and brothers of Telangana, Thank you for your support to the @BJP4India, Over the last few years, this support has only been increasing and this trend will continue in the times to come. Our bond with Telangana is unbreakable and we will keep working for the people. I also appreciate the industrious efforts of each and every BJP Karyakarta."
Madhya Pradesh- BJP(166), Congress(63)
Rajasthan- BJP(116), Congress+(69)
Telangana- Congress+(64), BRS(40)
Chhattisgarh- BJP(57), Congress(33)
The BJP was cruising to victory in Rajasthan with its candidates winning from 61 seats and leading in 54, while the Congress won from 35 constituencies and was leading in 34, according to Election Commission trends available on Sunday for the assembly polls.
A party has to win 100 seats for a simple majority in the state.
-PTI
Trends in Madhya Pradesh suggest that the BJP has yet again beaten anti-incumbency. The leads from Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh show that the BJP will topple the Congress governments in these states.
The lone victory for the Congress, and an important one at it, is in Telangana where the party has displaced K C Rao’s Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) which has been in power since 2014.
Union Minister and BJP leader Gajendra Singh Shekhawat says, "...I had already said that BJP will form the govt with a big majority. Now that the historic results of the three states have come...The public have rendered their faith in PM Modi..."
The Election Commission of India has suspended Anjani Kumar, the Director General of Police, Telangana, for violating the Model Code of Conduct, news agency ANI reported on Sunday.
The Director General of Police of Telangana, along with Sanjay Jain, State Police Nodal Officer, Telangana, and Mahesh Bhagwat, Nodal (Expenditure), had met the state Congress chief, Anumula Revanth Reddy, in Hyderabad with a flower bouquet after the latter's party appeared set to displace the ruling BRS.
Even as the Congress suffered major setbacks in the Assembly elections, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar asserted that it would not impact the Opposition I.N.D.I.A bloc, which comprises over two dozen political parties.
“I don’t think that there would be any impact in the I.N.D.I.A alliance,” Pawar, one of the seniormost politicians in the alliance, told reporters.
“We will be meeting at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's residence in Delhi. We will speak to those who know the ground reality. We will be able to comment on it after the meeting only," Pawar said.
The four-time Maharashtra CM and three-time union minister, however, said that one must accept trends are in favour of the BJP.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the BJP's good show in the Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh shows what is in the heart of the people and asserted there would be a repeat in the Lok Sabha and state polls here in 2024.
The BJP is all set to win in MP, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh as per vote counting trends, while the Congress is ahead in Telangana.
Addressing a press conference, the BJP leader said the party's success is due to people's faith in PM Modi and this win is about the transparent development agenda for the people of the country.
(PTI)
"Today, the resolution of Atmanirbhar Bharat has won, the idea of preference for the deprived has won, the idea of the development of states for the development of the country has won...," PM Modi says from BJP headquarters in Delhi.
Development of women power is the main basis of BJP's development model. Therefore, in these elections, women, sisters and daughters have given a lot of blessings to BJP. Today I will humbly tell every sister and daughter of the country that the promises made by BJP to you will be fulfilled 100 percent and this is Modi's guarantee: PM Modi
"In my political career, I always refrained from predictions...But this time, I broke this rule. In Rajasthan...I predicted that Congress would not return in Rajasthan...I had confidence in the people of Rajasthan...": PM Nodi
"Today, we are seeing the results. There is no alternative to BJP in Madhya Pradesh. BJP has been in power for 2 decades and even after such a long time, people's trust in BJP is increasing continuously...In the first public meeting in Chhattisgarh, I said that I had come here to invite the people of the state to our oath-taking ceremony after December 3 when we form the govt here...," PM Modi says in victory address.
BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "These are the expectations of the rising India and it is a warning to those who make allegations against the ED and the CBI every day. People answered the foul language used against the Prime Minister and the caste politics done for personal gains... You cannot talk about the caste for your own goals and keep pushing one family forward. BJP is committed to the development of the backward and the extremely backward classes."
Congress leaders would have now realised who is bad luck (apashakuna), he said while referring to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who had taken a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an election rally and had termed him as "panauti" (bad luck).
"The BJP has secured a majority in three states and has proved that people of the country believe in Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In fact, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah and the Congress leaders had stated the Assembly elections in five states were just the semi-finals. However, the Congress has failed to enter the finals now," he said.
He said "the election results will give further strength to the party. People have rejected the INDIA alliance. Nothing can prevent Narendra Modi from becoming the Prime Minister of India again," Kateel said.
Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan says, "It is not just a majority, it is an extreme level of faith. The people have expressed faith in the leadership of PM Modi, BJP and the NDA. The people who have been rejected by the people gathered to insult the PM... The people have given a befitting reply..."