Results for elections to the Legislative Assembly of Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram and Telangana, which were held in four phases between November 12 and December 7, have come out.
The Assembly polls are considered the bellwether for 2019 Lok Sabha elections and brought down the BJP's three most prominent chief ministers: Raman Singh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Vasundhara Raje.
Chhattisgarh Assembly Election 2018
The Congress has won 68 seats in the two-phase elections on November 12 and 20 and is set to form the new government. In the first phase, 18 Assembly constituencies which come under 12 districts of Maoist-affected South Chhattisgarh will go to polls, while in phase 2, voting will be held in 72 constituencies of remaining 78 districts of North Chhattisgarh on November 20. The elections saw a tough contest between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress, apart from regional parties. The state went to Assembly elections last in 2013. Then, the BJP had won 49 seats, the Congress 39 and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and an Independent candidate had won a seat each.
Rajasthan Assembly Election 2018
In Rajasthan as well, the Congress has emerged as the single-largest party with 99 seats. With the support of the BSP and the RLD, the party is set to form the next government. Single phase voting for the Rajasthan Assembly Election 2018 was held on December 7, 2018. There are 200 Assembly constituencies in Rajasthan. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had won 163 seats and the Congress 23 seats in the 14th assembly election held in 2013. Elections in Rajasthan have been a two-party affair between the BJP and Congress.
Mizoram Assembly Election 2018
Mizoram saw the Congress wiped out with MNF getting 26 of the 40 seats. The election was held in a single phase on November 28. The Congress got 5 while the BJP managed to bag just 1 seat.
Madhya Pradesh Assembly Election 2018
Madhya Pradesh election saw the Congress return with the BJP bagging 109 seats. While the Congress managed to get 114 seats, the number is still 2 short of the majority. The BSP, with 2 MLAs, has extended support and so has the SP with 1 seat. Elections to the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly were held on November 28. The election was a direct political battle between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Indian National Congress.
Telangana Assembly Election 2018
Caretaker CM KC Rao-led TRS won 88 seats while the Congress was restricted to 19 seats. The Telangana Legislative Assembly election was held on December 7. The incumbent Telangana Rashtra Samithi, the Indian National Congress, Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS), and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) were considered to be the main contestants in the election. The four Opposition parties in the state, the INC, the TJS, the TDP and the CPI had announced the formation of a 'Praka Kutami' (Grand Alliance), with the objective of defeating the ruling TRS in the elections. But the alliance could not quite deliver, as the results showed.
The party-wise strength in the 120-member Telangana Legislative Assembly before its dissolution was – TRS 82, Congress 17, AIMIM 7, BJP 5, TDP 3, Vacant 2, and the CPI, CPI(M), Independent and nominated member (one each).