Polls 2023: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) , has emerged as the clear winner in the assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, while the Congress has secured a comfortable majority in Telangana. The fate of Chhattisgarh remains uncertain as both the parties are locked in a neck-and-neck contest.
According to the latest trends, the BJP has won or is leading in 150 seats out of 230 in Madhya Pradesh, 110 seats out of 200 in Rajasthan, and 46 seats out of 90 in Chhattisgarh. The Congress has won or is leading in 58 seats out of 119 in Telangana, and 40 seats out of 90 in Chhattisgarh. The regional parties and independents have also made their presence felt in some states.
The BJP has attributed its success to the ‘double engine sarkar’ of the central and state governments, and the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who addressed several rallies in these states. The party also managed to overcome the anti-incumbency factor against its chief ministers Shivraj Singh Chauhan in Madhya Pradesh, Vasundhara Raje in Rajasthan, and Raman Singh in Chhattisgarh.
The Congress has claimed that its victory in Telangana is a result of its alliance with the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), which fought for the statehood of the region. The party also said that it has exposed the failures and corruption of the BJP governments in the other states, and offered a better alternative to the people.
The counting of votes began at 8 am today, after a high-octane campaign that saw bitter exchanges between the leaders of both the parties. The elections were held in five states – Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Mizoram – between November 7 and November 30. The results are expected to have a bearing on the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2024.
