Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP faced setbacks in the assembly elections in the three heartland states of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. The Congress won Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, while it fell two seats short of the majority mark in Madhya Pradesh. The Congress swept Rajasthan, bagging a total of 99 seats while a seat won by ally Ajit Singh meant they touched the majority mark of 100 seats in the state. The BJP, who could not buck an anti-incumbency trend in the state, won 73 seats. In Madhya Pradesh, the competition was tighter, with the Congress slightly ahead with 114 seats against BJP's 108 seats. PM Modi tweeted saying "we accept the people's mandate with humility".
Madhya Pradesh saw a close fight on Tuesday that swung wildly between the Congress and the BJP, whose Shivraj Singh Chouhan was eyeing a record fourth term. But Mr Chouhan tendered his resignation to Governor Anandiben Patel, adding that the BJP will not stake claim to form the government in Madhya Pradesh.
In Rajasthan, the Congress faces the question of who will become the chief minister. Despite speculation of a tussle over who will take the top post, the party's two top leaders in the state - Sachin Pilot and Ashok Gehlot - displayed complete harmony and togetherness in their victory celebrations. Congress President Rahul Gandhi is expected to take the final call today, with sources saying Ashok Gehlot has emerged as the front-runner for the post.
Here are the live updates on the final results in the Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh assembly elections:
मप्र, राजस्थान और छत्तीसगढ़ में कांग्रेस सरकार बनने के बाद भारत का मानचित्र।
- MP Congress (@INCMP) December 12, 2018
-कांग्रेस मुक्त भारत की बात करने वाले चार साल मे ही लुप्त होने लगे।
मोदी जी,
ये जनता है...शोर नही मचाती पर सही समय पर सही निर्णय ज़रूर करती है।
"ये जीत बुराई पर अच्छाई की और अंधेरे पर रोशनी की जीत है।" pic.twitter.com/ZWH3lUj10S
- If you see, over the last many decades, it was the Congress that ruled most of the states in India. But it was not working for the benefit of the people. Hence regional leaders had to come out and create their own parties to reach out to the people.
- Had the Congress performed well, the BJP would not have been able to expand its base.
- We fought these elections to ensure that the BJP does not come back to power. While BSP has performed well, we did not do as well as we had thought.
- Our aim is to keep the BJP out of power. And that is why we have decided to support the Congress in Madhya Pradesh.
