Election Results 2018: Congress workers celebrate win at Delhi headquarters.
Election Results: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accepted defeat in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Congress president Rahul Gandhi addressed a press conference today after poll trends indicated massive gains for his party in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. He thanked the workers of the party and launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party, the BJP. He said PM Modi hadn't delivered on the promises that he made before coming to power. After winning the polls in Telangana, TRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao has said that he would work towards solving the issues faced by the farmers in the state.Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh has accepted his party's defeat and has sent his resignation to the governor. He said his party will now play the role of a constructive opposition. The Mizo National Front or MNF has got majority in Mizoram, the Election Commission informed. It was the last Congress stronghold in the northeast. The Congress has started sending overtures to form the government in Rajasthan. The party is leading in the state and its Rajasthan chief Sachin Pilot has said that he is in contact with "like-minded" people. The party has taken a big lead in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, but is engaged in a close contest with the BJP in Madhya Pradesh. Mr Pilot, who is confident of getting a majority in Rajasthan, claimed today that the mandate was against the BJP because they were arrogant. Another Congress leader Ashok Gehlot lauded party president Rahul Gandhi's leadership. The final results will be announced in the evening. In Mizoram, Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla lost elections in both the constituencies he was contesting from. In Telangana, KCR's supporters have started celebrating the imminent win. His daughter K Kavitha said his hard work had paid off. "We are seeing the response of the people. The hard work in four and a half years has paid off," said Ms Kavitha. "Nobody knows Telangana like KCR," she said. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has reacted to the poll trends, saying demonetisation was among the many reasons behind the BJP's defeat.
Here are the highlights on Election Results 2018:
Counting ends in Madhya Pradesh, with Congress winning 114 seats and the BJP winning 109 seats
Counting is still on in one seat each in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh
Counting is still going on in three seats in Madhya Pradesh and one seat in Chhattisgarh
"A new history is to begin. We have written to the Governor to seek an appointment to prove our majority in the state," Kamal Nath said in the presser
Congress press conference begins after Kamal Nath seeks appointment from governor to form government
Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath late on Tuesday wrote to Governor Anandiben Patel, staking claim to form the government. The BJP has also sought appointment with the Governor
In Rajasthan, the Congress finished just short of the majority mark. The party won 99 seats. The BJP won 73 seats.
In Chhattisgarh, the Congress has won 47 out of 90 seats and is leading in 21 seats.
In Mizoram, the independents won more seats than the Congress, which won only 5 seats. MNF stole the show with 26 seats in its kitty, crossing the majority mark comfortably.
In Telangana, the TRS has finished with 88 seats. The Congress has won 19 seats, whereas the BJP won 1 seat.
The governor house has said that an appointment will be given after the situation is made clear by the Election Commission. (Source: ANI)
The Congress has written to the governor of Madhya Pradesh seeking an appointment to stake claim at the formation of government in the state.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweets: - We accept the people's mandate with humility. I thank the people of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan for giving us the opportunity to serve these states. The BJP Governments in these states worked tirelessly for the welfare of the people.
- Congratulations to the Congress for their victories. Congratulations to KCR Garu for the thumping win in Telangana and to the Mizo National Front (MNF) for their impressive victory in Mizoram.
- The family of BJP Karyakartas (workers) worked day and night for the state elections. I salute them for their hardwork. Victory and defeat are an integral part of life. Today's results will further our resolve to serve people and work even harder for the development of India.
Three-time Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Chouhan wins
Arun Jaitley speaks to media- The 2019 election will be an election around the central government and the leadership of PM Modi, and the issue will be, will we want tried and tested sound governance or an alliance without any ideology.
- I am quite determined our cadres will introspect on the outcome and the tide will turn the other way.
- No election depends on an individual. An election depends on several factors.
- If you see Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, you will see we are fraction of a percent ahead in popular vote in MP and behind in Rajasthan.
- In Madhya Pradesh, the final jury is still out. We will wait for the last vote to be counted.
- Of course we got less seats than we expected. We did not anticipate the Chhattisgarh gap will be so large.
Sachin Pilot speaks to NDTV- Rahul Gandhi is trying to take all age groups together. People who have worked for 30-40 years, their experience needs to be taken along.
- The work is only half done. The real challenge will come 4 months later. And we are fully prepared to give the BJP a defeat.
- There are no gaps - age gaps, mind gaps. We have worked for years in public life and we know how to work collectively no matter what propaganda BJP puts out. It bothered the BJP that there were no cold wars. We have to put out energies together.
- We are meeting tomorrow to decide who does what job. All of us worked together and the credit goes to everybody.
- Our win is a clear win, there are no ifs and buts about it. Its important to remember where the BJP was five years ago. They threw all their weight.
- There has to be a meeting of minds between academics and companies to train people in the right way and make them employable.
- There is a lot of backlog and vacancies that have not been fulfilled (on Congress' plan to create jobs).
- And if we can give companies an ecosystem, they will create jobs here.
- Rajasthan is a state where a lot of attention needs to be given to job creation.
- It is a victory of the people of Rajasthan, they voted against politics of hate.
- I think it's a clear mandate in favour of the Congress party in all three states.
Vasundhara Raje speaks to media
- I hope that measures we took will be taken forward by the next government.
- I want to assure the people that we will be their voice in the Vidhan Sabha.
- I want to thank the party workers and leaders who worked tirelessly.
- I also want to thank the PM, the national president, our central leadership, our state president and party workers.
Here is what Rahul Gandhi, KCR, Asaduddin Owaisi and N Chandrababu Naidu said about the election result in Telangana.
Did the BJP misread local poll defeats?
Rajasthan Congress chief established a direct connect with the people over the last few years. How much did his popularity among Gujjars matter?
Farmers protests across the country hurt the BJP in agri-intensive states - the Jat factor in the BJP loss in key states.
Do tribals fighting for forest rights feel betrayed by the Narendra Modi government?
Several BJP leaders, after today's dismal performance, agreed demonetisation and GST hit its urban vote bank.
Congress wrests two big states from the BJP in the Hindi heartland. Did PM Modi's policies at the centre hurt his party?
Rahul Gandhi addresses media
- And that is a lesson Narendra Modi has taught me - about what not to do. He had huge opportunity but he refused to listen to the heartbeat of the country. He refused to listen to the youth, the farmers and a certain arrogance crept in.
- I was speaking to my mother yesterday, and told her the absolute best thing for me was the 2014 election. I have learnt a lot about elections, how to think about things, I have learnt a lot about humility and that the most important thing about the country is how its people feel... and that is how you should work.
- By all accounts the PM and the BJP have failed to give India a vision for the 21st century - 2019, 2025 etc.
- We will work on giving a new vision for the country, we have done it before like with the Green Revolution.
- We will work with the opposition. There are three issues in front of the country today
-How India will give job to its young
-Farmers
-Corruption - and I repeat here demo is a scam, Rafael is a scam
- BJP has an ideology, we will fight against it and defeat them. But we do not want to make India 'mukt' (Free)of anyone. If we don't agree with somebody, we will fight them not try to obliterate them.
- I did not use any objectionable language. The youth of country elected the PM to work. They want the economic structure of the country to be revived. And the Prime Minister is paralysed, he is not able to respond to the pressure of the opposition.
- If the people of the country are uncomfortable with EVMs, then that issue has to be addressed. Yes, we have won the elections but the central issue of EVMs, still remains.
- Opposition is united and will fight together
- Chief Minister candidate is not an issue, the party will take a decision
- I would have preferred a better result in Telangana... but okay.
- Central issues will be employment and farmers. And it is not just an issue of MP but of the entire country.
- We have to think about it and give a new vision to the country.
- It is going to be very difficult for the PM and the BJP to win the elections
- There is a feeling throughout the country that what Mr Modi committed, he couldn't deliver.
- There are serious questions being asked about the future of our youngsters. The central question is how does the government plans to give jobs to millions and millions of youngsters.
- The employment that the PM promised to the young people, has not happened.
- Promise of jobs for youths has not been fulfilled.
- There have been BJP chief ministers in these states. I would like to thank them for their work for their states.
- I would like to thank all the people who supported the Congress party in the states that we have won and in the states we have lost.
- I want to congratulate the public and Congress workers for the win.
- This win is of farmers, shopkeepers, Congress workers.
Manish Tewari to NDTV- People are judging the performance of the incumbent government in these elections. There was a vote for change in all three states.
- BJP tried their best to obfuscate and vitiate the atmosphere and it did not work.
Congress leader Kapil Sibal on NDTV- If you consider the gap we had to fill in Rajasthan, it's a great result. Same in Madhya Pradesh.
- There were many things going for the BJP - money power, organizational capability, they have sitting chief ministers who have given out huge doles.
- So with all those things considered, it's a great result for the Congress.
- Winning an election is the first step, the real issues are of the people.
- With the victory in the Hindi heartland now, the tide will turn.
- This is the first time that decisions taken at the national level have affected the local elections. For example demonetization, which has harmed all strata of society.
- Irrespective of Narendra Modi's popularity, the price of fuel, the price of produce a farmer gets, matters more.
- You must give credit to Rahul Gandhi. He's worked tirelessly and connected with the marginalized.
- But elections aren't won by one person even though Rahul Gandhi's contribution has been significant.
Mood is sombre inside the BJP headquarters in Delhi
We nearly defeated PM Modi, Amit Shah in their own state. Today's result is a sign: Congress leader Ashok Gehlot (Source: ANI)
BJP's Raman Singh speaks in Chhattisgarh
- I take the moral responsibility for the party's defeat.
- We will play the role of a constructive opposition.
- We will discuss within the party the reasons for the defeat.
- Even if I work all my life I will not be able to repay the love and support I have received from the people of Chhattisgarh.
Congress leader Milind Deora To NDTV- Three out of the five states were extremely crucial states, they have had an important impact on national politics
- With great humility Congress accepts the verdict
- Everyone expected Rajasthan to go to Congress but no one expected Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh to go Congress' way.
BJP's KJ Alphons to NDTV- Madhya Pradesh is too close to call, but of course we are not happy with what we are seeing
- We have to go back to the drawing board, that is something we do very effectively.
- We thought we were going to win Chhattisgarh hands down.
KCR speaks to media after his party's win in Telangana
- My only aim is to give benefits to the farmers.We will work towards the benefits of the farmers of the state.
- I am happy that my agenda and manifesto have been accepted by the people of the state.
- The youth of the state have a sadness in them that they are not getting employment opportunities.
- We will cover all the sections of the society in the state and work for their benefit.
Congress' Lal Thanhawla, who ruled Mizoram for 5 consecutive terms, lost both seats. Here's a look at who lost and won in the state.
Mamata Banerjee speaks to media- There are many reasons for the BJP's defeat. They hurt the common man through moves like demonetization, they weakened democratic institutions.
- All regional parties should work together. A stronger federal front will mean a stronger India. States are pillars of India.
- BJP's influence reducing across the country. BJP is in a precarious position.
- People are just waiting for the general elections to throw out the BJP. The countdown has started. It's the beginning of the end.
In Madhya Pradesh, the Congress is leading in 117 seats. The BJP follows with lead in 103 seats.
Voters have rejected what was unwanted, congratulations to them: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray (Source: PTI)
Rajasthan Assembly Speaker Kailash Meghwal wins by 74,542 votes in Shahpura (Source: PTI)
Congress legislative party in Rajasthan to meet Wednesday morning: Sachin Pilot (Source: PTI)
MNF gets majority in Mizoram, says Election Commission (Source: PTI)
KCR 2.0 has proved to be a bigger Telangana blockbuster than what poll pundits and surveys had predicted. His TRS (Telangana Rashtra Samithi) is close to winning 86 of the total 119 seats in the state.
Chhattisgarh Congress president Bhupesh Baghel to NDTV
"This is the victory of the people. The wrong policies of the BJP have led to this situation for them. We fought the polls against BJP's anti-poor agenda. I am ready to fulfil any responsibility the party high command gives"
Congress's Shama Mohamed to NDTV "People have also shown Yogi Adityanath that his divisive politics won't work"
Nail-biting contest is taking place between the BJP and Congress in Madhya Pradesh. Currently, the BJP is leading in 112 seats. The Congress is leading in 108 seats.
"I want to congratulate the two sides...those who won the polls and the Election Commission because the EVM is now cleared of any doubt", says BJP's Anil Jha
Just in from Rajasthan:
State Congress chief Sachin Pilot wins by over 50,000 votes
Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje wins by 45,000 votes
Senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot wins by over 30,000 votes
Congress leader Renuka Chowdhury on NDTV - Salute to all the workers.
- Politics is the art of making the impossible possible.
- The spillover of Chhattisgarh has worked in Khammam but it hasn't happened in rest of the state (Telangana).
- We were confident that we were going to win at least four of the five states. But we won't be disappointed (if Congress wins 2 states), we are grateful to the voters.
I knew we would lose in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh but Madhya Pradesh trends have come as a surprise. I think we forgot the issue of development that PM Modi took up in 2014. Ram Mandir, statues and name changing became the focus: Sanjay Kakade, BJP lawmaker (Source: ANI)
Sitting BJP MLA Yashpal Singh Sisodiya is being challenged by Congress' Narendra Nahata in Mandsaur, referred to as the epicentre of the farmers' agitation in the state
Atal Bihari Vajpayee's nephew Anoop Mishra is fighting from Bhitarwar in Gwalior district
BSP chief Mayawati can meet party candidates who won polls in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh tomorrow, reports Saurabh Shukla
Shivraj Singh Chouhan, BJP's chief ministerial face for the fourth time in a row, is contesting from his home turf Budhni (MP), against Congress' Arun Yadav
Rahul Gandhi's "jaadu ki jhappi" has been working, says Khushbu Sundar
The Congress is leading in 64 seats in Chhattisgarh, the BJP in 19.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi reaches Sonia Gandhi's residence, 10 Janpath (ANI)
Congress workers in Kolkata celebrating the party's lead in two BJP-ruled heartland states - Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh (photo credit: ANI)
Sachin Pilot speaks to media
- BJP has put all its might but the people of Rajasthan have given a clear verdict.
- We are all set to form the government.
- The people of Rajasthan have outright rejected the BJP.
- Most of the ministers of the BJP are losing and the Congress is heading towards a clear majority.
- The mandate is against the BJP because they were arrogant.
- Even though we are certain we will have the numbers by ourselves but I would like to reach out to other like-minded parties and leaders to form the government.
"Are you the next CM of Chhattisgarh?"
"Not yet," says Congress' TS Singh Deo to Prannoy Roy
Ashok Gehlot speaks to media after the Congress takes lead in Rajasthan
- The way Rahul Gandhi had led the campaign in Gujarat, taking on Narendra Modi on his home turf, spoke a lot. What you see here in these states, especially in Rajasthan, is the good work carried forward from that time.
- This is a clear indication of things to come in 2019. The BJP had made tall promises, but could not fulfil them. The achhe din (good days) they spoke about never came.
- They (BJP) haven't taken the opposition into consideration. They haven't taken partners along. The Congress on the other hand has done much better on that front.
- Modi-ji has forgotten that the Congress has many more years of experience.
Just In: Five-time Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla has lost both the seats he contested
At the TRS headquarters in Hyderabad, the colour pink is everywhere!
Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje leads in Jhalrapatan. She has been a three-time MLA from this assembly seat.
Congress closes the gap in Madhya Pradesh, leads in 116 seats.
People voted against the BJP. This is people's verdict, victory of democracy over injustice: Mamata Banerjee (Source: PTI)
Patakas and dhols outside the Congress headquarters in Delhi
Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla loses South Champhai, one of the two seats he is contesting in Mizoram.
Just In: BJP now ahead in very tight contest in Madhya Pradesh
Sachin Pilot speaks to media after Congress takes lead in Rajasthan
- It's clear the Congress is about to form the government with complete majority in Rajasthan. But, from the reports we are getting, we seem to be heading to form government in all the three states.
- Today's day is a significant day. Rahul Gandhi became president of the party exactly one year ago.
- The BJP has been losing for a while now and that has continued today. People's anger against the BJP is evident.
- Our lead will increase as more results come in.
- The Congress is in a comfortable position in all three states.
Celebrations outside the TRS office in Hyderabad as KCR's party looks set to retain Telangana (photo credit: ANI)