BJP workers carry a hoarding of PM Narendra Modi and Union Minister Amit Shah amid the party set to win in 3 states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Celebrations began at the BJP headquarters in Delhi and around the country as the saffron party is all set to sweep the Hindi heartland states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in the ongoing round of assembly elections. For Congress, disappointment prevailed as the party is headed towards losing two states where it was the incumbent. However, a dominating show in Telangana remained a silver lining for the Grand Old Party. The elections also hit the national ambitions of K Chandrashekar Rao, whose party BRS has all but lost its bastion of Telangana. BJP leaders lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “charismatic” leadership and development agenda for the party’s success in three states, with Home Minister Amit Shah asserting that people have put their stamp of approval on PM Modi's “good governance”.
Here is a quick update on what is going on in the four states.
Even two decades of anti-incumbency could not stop the BJP from securing what is likely to be a massive mandate in Madhya Pradesh. CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan has hailed PM Modi's leadership as the reason behind this performance and the party has entered a celebratory mode. The BJP has won 86 seats with the Congress managing to secure only 23 seats so far.
The BJP crossed the halfway mark in Rajasthan on Sunday, winning 100 seats out of the 199 where assembly elections took place. The saffron party won 104 seats while the Congress secured 60 seats. Notably, former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje won from her constituency in Jhalraptan. Congress leader Sachin Pilot and outgoing CM Ashok Gehlot won from their respective constituencies.
The BJP on Sunday not only defied exit poll projections but also raced towards its biggest-ever victory in Chhattisgarh, where it has had three terms since the state’s formation in 2000. As per the latest data shared by the Election Commission, the party had won 19 seats and was leading in 36 of the 90 constituencies in the state. The Congress has won 14 seats.
Factors such as anti-incumbency, voter fatigue, and dissatisfaction among the youth contributed mainly to the poor showing of BRS in the Telangana Legislative Assembly election on Sunday. The Congress is set to come to power in the southern state with winning 47 seats while the BRS could only manage to win 24 seats. The BJP won 7 seats.