
New Delhi: The BJP is poised for a dominant performance in the Hindi heartland states and is slated for a two-thirds majority in Madhya Pradesh and is heading towards comfortable victories in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, according to the latest trends from the Election Commission.
The counting of votes in the four states, which went to the polls last month, started at 8 am on Sunday.
The Congress is poised to win Telangana for the first time in a shock for the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi, which was in power in India’s youngest state for the past 10 years.
The BJP is leading on 163 of 230 seats in Madhya Pradesh, 53 of 90 seats in Chhattisgarh and 114 of 199 seats in Rajasthan.
Congress, which was seen to have an edge in Chhattisgarh, is leading on 36 seats in the state. In Madhya Pradesh, it is leading with 65 seats, and in Rajasthan, it is leading with 70 seats.
#WATCH | On BJP’s lead in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, Union Minister and party leader Smriti Irani says, “Narendra Modi’s guarantee is about development. The trust people placed in his guarantee – as BJP workers we are thankful to them. BJP workers had clearly… pic.twitter.com/OXYeaOwM8q
— ANI (@ANI) December 3, 2023
Rajasthan seems to have followed the three-decade-old trend of rotating governments, and the Congress government led by Ashok Gehlot appears to be on its way out.
BJP is on its way to creating a record in Madhya Pradesh, and it’s expected coming to power again after having ruled the state for 18 of the past 20 years is an apparent indication of the party’s organizational hold in the state as well as popularity of its schemes and leadership.
#WATCH | BJP supporters and workers hail Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan as the party leads towards a landslide win in the state, in Bhopal pic.twitter.com/hVge7tp19G
— ANI (@ANI) December 3, 2023
BJP has bounced back strongly in Chhattisgarh, where the ruling Congress was supposed to have done well. A strong, sustained and aggressive campaign and its matching Congress in poll promises seem to work for the BJP.
#WATCH | On BJP’s lead in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, Union Minister and party leader Piyush Goyal says, “…people of four elections of the state have given their blessings to Prime Minister Modi. If you look at it closely, this is not an ordinary win. In Madhya… pic.twitter.com/H6GXZP91ZU
— ANI (@ANI) December 3, 2023
In Telangana, Congress gained from the anti-incumbency against the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi, with its leader A Revanth Reddy seen to be a fierce critic of Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao. Victory in Karnataka in assembly polls earlier this year enthused Congress workers in Telangana. The party ran a strong campaign bolstered by its leaders from different parts of the country.
As per the latest trends from the Election Commission, Congress is leading in 63 of 119 assembly seats, BRS on 41, BJP on nine, AIMIM on 4 and CPI on one.
#WATCH | Telangana: Congress workers raise slogan of ‘CM-CM’ in favour of state party president Revanth Reddy, as he arrives at the party office in Hyderabad
Congress is leading on 65 of the total 119 seats in the state, ruling BRS is leading on 39 seats. pic.twitter.com/csd9P4vOBe
— ANI (@ANI) December 3, 2023
The BJP has improved its vote share in the southern state and is poised to improve its tally as well.
While the Congress will be happy over its expected victory in Telangana, the loss in Hindi heartland states is a cause of worry for the party months before the Lok Sabha polls. Of the large swathe of the Hindi heartland, Congress is in power only in Himachal Pradesh and is part of the government in Bihar.
Counting in Mizoram, which went to the polls last month, will take place on Monday.