Election results: Vote counting begins in Rajasthan, MP, Telangana, Chhattisgarh
The five states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, and Mizoram went to polls last month to elect a new assembly. The counting of votes in four of them began at 8:00am on Sunday. The counting in Mizoram will take place on Monday. Earlier, exit polls predicted the Congress would retain power in Chhattisgarh and unseat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh.
Why does this story matter?
The results will likely set the tone for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, in which the BJP is facing the united opposition bloc. Currently, the BJP is ruling in MP, while in Mizoram, the Mizo National Front (MNF) is the ruling party. Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh are being ruled by the Congress, and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) is incumbent in Telangana.
Counting begins with postal ballots
The counting of votes began with the counting of the postal ballots. It will be followed by the votes polled in electronic voting machines (EVMs), according to the Election Commission of India (ECI). The vote-counting exercise began under a three-tier security arrangement involving the state police and central forces, including the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF). The results can be watched live at eci.gov.in.
Counting of votes on 638 seats underway
Notably, MP, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Chhattisgarh have 230, 200, 119 and 90 assembly seats. However, the counting of votes on only 638 of the 639 seats is underway as polling was held only in 199 constituencies in Rajasthan. The polling couldn't be held in Rajasthan's Karanpur seat after a Congress candidate, Gurmeet Singh Konoor, died due to sepsis.
Polling in 5 states held last month
To recall, the 2023 assembly elections in Chhattisgarh were held in two phases on November 7 and November 17. Polls in MP were held on November 17. Later, on November 25 and November 30, Rajasthan and Telangana went to the polls, respectively. The majority mark to form a government in Chhattisgarh is 46, Madhya Pradesh 116, Mizoram 21, Rajasthan 101, and Telangana 60.
Exit polls divided over potential winners
The incumbent Congress is expected to cross the majority mark of 46 in Chhattisgarh, per most exit polls. Similarly, the opposition BJP is predicted to be the winner in Rajasthan and the Congress in Telangana. For MP, the exit polls were divided, with Polstrat exit polls predicting Congress to win (111-121 seats), while Republic TV- Matrize predicted the BJP to win (118-130 seats).
