"Will Form Government In All 5 States": Congress Chief Ahead Of Polls

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said that the grand old party will form the government in all the five states, going to polls next month and that there is anti-incumbency in the Bharatiya Janata Party ruled Madhya Pradesh.

While speaking to ANI in Kalaburgi, Mr Kharge said that the Congress-led governments in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan are doing their work properly and people there are not facing any problems.

The Assembly Elections are scheduled to be held in single or two phases in all five states-- Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram-- in November.

The elections will be held in Mizoram on November 7, Chhattisgarh on November 7 and November 17, Madhya Pradesh on November 17, Rajasthan on November 25 and Telangana on November 30. The counting of votes will take place on December 3 in all the states.

"Congress' preparations for the elections in five states are going well. We are confident that we will win in all the states. There has been an anti-incumbency for the BJP owing to mainly inflation, and unemployment," Mr Kharge told ANI.

He said that people in Madhya Pradesh are turning against the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led BJP government.

The Congress chief levelled accusations at the BJP at the Centre saying that the party didn't fulfil any of its poll promises. "Whatever promises were made, BJP did not fulfil even a single promise. Be it unemployment, doubling farmer's income, or investment," he said.

Mr Kharge who is on a visit to his home district of Kalaburgi, Karnataka, went on to allege that the Central government is neglecting Karnataka. "No central projects are being given (to Karnataka)," he said.

Congress and BJP are the key players in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Telangana is expected to witness a triangular contest between the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi, Congress and BJP.

Madhya Pradesh assembly has 230 seats. In the 2018 elections, Congress won 114 seats with a vote share of 41.5 per cent while BJP got 109 seats with a vote share of 41.6 per cent. 

Congress government lost the majority in 2020 following the resignations of some MLAs considered loyal to Jyotiraditya Scindia, who later joined the BJP. The BJP came to power in the state with Shivraj Singh Chouhan as the Chief Minister.

Rajasthan has 200 seats with Congress almost winning a majority in the state in 2018 by wresting 99 seats, it came to power with the help of BSP and independent MLAs. The party had a vote share of 39.8 per cent and has ruled the state for the past five years with Ashok Gehlot as Chief Minister. BJP won 73 seats with a vote share of 39.3 per cent in the 2018 polls.

In Telangana, the ruling BRS won 88 of 119 seats and a vote share of 47.4 per cent in the 2018 elections. Congress came at a distant second with 19 seats and a vote share of 28.7 per cent.

Congress stormed to power in Chhattisgarh in the 2018 elections, winning 68 of 90 seats in the state assembly. The party had a vote share of 43.9 per cent. BJP won 15 seats and had a vote share of 33.6 per cent.

In a 40-member Mizoram assembly, Mizo National Front bagged 26 seats with a vote share of 37.8 per cent to emerge victorious in the 2018 polls. Congress secured five seats and BJP won one seat.

Political parties have been making preparations for the assembly polls in five states with their leaders addressing rallies and announcing promises to people.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)