Result Day: Counting begins as fate of four states to be decided today

Counting for the elections of the four states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana has begun. The counting officially began at all the counting centres across the four states. 

The first round of counting is currently underway and by 8:30 am, it is expected that the results for the counting of the postal ballots will be out. 

Today's results for the four states are significant as it is being viewed as the semi-final ahead of the Lok Sabha elections next year. While Congress wants to reclaim its power among the masses and show that the INDIA bloc is marching ahead in claiming power ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, for BJP it is a matter of retaining the power and show before the masses that Modi magic is still a viable thing. 

Battleground Rajasthan

The main tussle for power is between the Congress and the BJP. Both parties are vying for the state, which has seen a trend of rotating governments every five years - a phenomenon since 1993. In this case, the Congress party is striving to retain power against a resurgent BJP.

Official sources have revealed that all the winning candidates of Congress have been asked to reach Jaipur by 12 pm today. This decision was made after Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot interacted with the candidates on Saturday, virtually.

The Madhya Pradesh Question

Madhya Pradesh, which has 230 assembly seats, voted on November 17 and recorded a voter turnout of 77.15 per cent, marginally higher than the 75.63 per cent recorded in the 2018 election. The contest is mainly between the ruling BJP and the Congress.

Several prominent candidates, including Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Kamal Nath, Narottam Mishra and Jitu Patwari, are contesting from their traditional seats and will be looking to extend their dominance in these constituencies. Congress is desperately looking for redemption in Madhya Pradesh as the BJP seeks to further extend its run in the central state. 

The Chhattisgarh Scenario

Just like the previous 2018 assembly election, Chhattisgarh went to polls in two phases. The state voted on November 7 on 20 seats and the remaining 70 seats on November 17. The voter turnout was recorded at 76.31 per cent, marginally lower than the 76.88 per cent recorded in the 2018 election.

The Congress emerged victorious in the 2018 election, securing a majority with 68 seats and ending the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) 15-year reign. The BJP managed just 15 seats. Now in 2023, as the incumbent party, the Congress, led by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, faces a formidable challenge from the BJP, which is determined to reclaim its lost territory. The grand old party is also seeking to win over the voters over its populist schemes on farmers and women in a bid to battle anti-incumbency.

War for Telangana

Telangana, which has 119 assembly seats, voted on November 30 and the voter turnout was recorded at 71.34 per cent. Political parties crisscrossed Telangana, India's youngest state, for campaigning in the past couple of months. And the efforts will bear fruit when the fate of 2,290 candidates is decided today. 

The major players in the state are the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) led by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and the Congress. While Rao, popularly known as KCR, is chasing a record third term, the Congress is going all out to unseat the incumbent.

The Exit Poll Factor

According to the India Today-Axis My India exit poll, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to continue its dominance in Madhya Pradesh, with a projected win that could see them securing between 140 and 162 seats. This significant lead suggests a comfortable majority for the BJP in the state's 230-member Legislative Assembly. 

The Congress party, while giving a fight, is expected to trail with an estimated 68 to 90 seats. Other parties may barely make a mark, with predictions suggesting they might win around 0 to 1 seat.

In terms of vote share, the BJP is likely to secure 47% of the votes in Madhya Pradesh, which underscores the party's strong position in the Hindi heartland. The Congress is predicted to garner 41% of the vote share, with other parties collectively obtaining around 6%.

Meanwhile, in Rajasthan, the electoral battle appears to be much tighter. The India Today-Axis My India exit poll indicates a cliffhanger between Congress and the BJP. 

Despite facing anti-incumbency, senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot has emerged as the most preferred Chief Ministerial candidate with 32% of the vote. The voter turnout for the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly elections was reported at 75.45%, with voting conducted for 199 out of 200 seats on November 25.

On the other hand, the Congress is slightly ahead of the BJP in Chhattisgarh, as per the poll of polls. The grand old party is likely to secure 48 out of 90 Assembly seats. The BJP, on the other hand, may get 40 seats in the state and other parties may get 2 seats. 

Coming to Telangana, the India Today-Axis My India exit poll has shown that Congress is set to win in Telangana with a 42 per cent vote share and 68 seats. Meanwhile, the ruling Bhartiya Rashtra Samithi (BRS) is expected to get 39 seats and a 36 per cent vote share.