Election results: BJP set to form government in 3 states
What's the story
The Election Commission (ECI) trends indicate that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will win in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh. The Congress, which initially appeared to be ahead in Chhattisgarh too, gained solace from a win in Telangana. As per the latest trends, the BJP is leading on 162 seats in Madhya Pradesh, 116 in Rajasthan, and 55 in Rajasthan.
Details
KCR leading in Gajwel; Chhattishgarh CM Baghel trailing
According to India Today, early trends showed the Congress crossing the majority mark in Telangana, while the BJP has a lead in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan. Telangana chief minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) supremo K Chandrashekhar Rao is leading in Gajwel but trailing in Kamareddy. Similarly, Congress leader and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel is trailing in his constituency, Patan.
Pilot
Gehlot leading in Sardarpura seat, Raje in Jhalrapatan constituency
Rajasthan's incumbent Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is leading in the Sardarpura seat, while his predecessor, the BJP's Vasundhara Raje, is leading in the Jhalrapatan constituency. In Madhya Pradesh, CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Kamal Nath are leading in their respective seats. BJP's Narendra Singh Tomar was also ahead of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)'s Balveer Singh Dandotiya in Dimni.
Celebrations
Celebrations at Congress headquarters in Delhi
Celebrations have already begun at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi, as early indications showed that the grand old party has a lead in Telangana. Congress workers were reportedly seen dancing with dhol and sweets. Moreover, luxury buses were seen stationed at Hyderabad's Taj Krishna, while firecrackers were burst outside the residence of state party president Revanth Reddy.
DK Shivakumar
Congress's Shivakumar assigned to prevent poaching in Telangana
Meanwhile, Congress leader and Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar and 10 ministers of the Karnataka cabinet are currently in Telangana to prevent horsetrading of their winning candidates by other parties. The party's high command has assigned Shivakumar the responsibility of maintaining unity among party leaders and stopping the poaching of winning candidates. After the exit poll results, some were allegedly approached by other parties.
Exit polls
What did exit polls forecast
To recall, the exit poll results for the assembly elections in five states were released on Thursday. The Congress was predicted to retain power in Chhattisgarh and unseat the BJP in Madhya Pradesh, which doesn't seem to be the case now, per early trends. Meanwhile, most exit polls predicted the Congress's win in Telangana, BJP in Rajasthan, and Mizo National Front (MNF) in Mizoram.