Exit polls for five states in elections predict a worrying outcome for the BJP in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.
An aggregate of exit polls shows the BJP's winning streak is set to end in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, both heading for hung verdict. The Congress is tipped to win a clear majority in Rajasthan. The party is likely to lose Mizoram and K Chandrashekar Rao will retain Telangana, the exit polls say.
For Madhya Pradesh, exit polls see both BJP and Congress going neck and neck but falling short of a clear majority in the 230-member assembly. According to an aggregate of nine exit polls, the BJP will get 110 seats in the state, while the Congress will get 109 seats. The halfway mark is at 115. Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party will get 2 seats.The assembly elections in these states have been billed as the semi-final before next year's general elections.
Here are the updates on the story:
Kamal Nath when asked who will be the CM if Congress wins in Madhya Pradesh: We will win more than 140 seats. Wait till tomorrow, everything will be clear by then. pic.twitter.com/vNJt5wY8Hi
- ANI (@ANI) December 10, 2018
Rajasthan: Re-polling is underway at booth no.163 in Karanpur assembly constituency. Election Commission had nullified the votes cast there on 7th December due to malfunctioning of the EVM. #RajasthanElections2018 pic.twitter.com/0ac9mFfpLi
- ANI (@ANI) December 10, 2018
Two days ahead of counting, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today said his party BJP will retain power in the state and accused the Congress of creating doubts in minds of people about the reliability of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
Mr Chouhan, seeking a fourth straight term in office, said the Congress will try to create hindrances on the counting day.
Mr Chouhan held an audio conference with all the 230 party candidates and discussed the preparations for the counting. State BJP president Rakesh Singh also took part in the conference.
Rajasthan witnessed over one per cent lower voter turnout in Friday's assembly poll as compared to the previous assembly election despite marathon election rallies by star campaigners of both the BJP and the Congress.
Lucknow: Mulayam Singh Yadav at the rally of younger brother Shivpal Singh Yadav's party Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia). pic.twitter.com/qAcoBXT7zP
- ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) December 9, 2018
राज्य में चुनावी प्रक्रिया को शांतिपूर्वक आयोजित करवाने में जनता का महत्वपूर्ण योगदान रहने के नाते आभार व्यक्त करता हूँ। राजस्थान में जिस प्रकार उत्साहपूर्वक मत डालने के लिए भिन्न भिन्न प्रकार की बाधाओं को पार करते हुए लोगों ने अपने मताधिकार का प्रयोग किया वह सराहनीय है। pic.twitter.com/Hma5qv9lgk
- Sachin Pilot (@SachinPilot) December 8, 2018
After its confession that it has failed to control the use of black money in elections and mass deletion of voter names in Telangana, what can the EC do to salvage its reputation?
- P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) December 9, 2018
It can match the EVM count with the VVPAT count. It now does it for ONE booth (polling unit).
- P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) December 9, 2018
Why can't it be done for ALL the booths?
EC has given NO valid reason so far for refusing to match the EVM and VVPAT counts.
- P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) December 9, 2018
Matching the counts for one booth is tokenism. The counts must be matched for all booths to eliminate the suspicion of EVM tampering.
- P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) December 9, 2018
If delay in declaration of results is the reason, the delay will be no more than 2-3 hours. Nothing will be lost if the results are declared at 5 pm on counting day.
- P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) December 9, 2018
- Nobody can be a bigger surveyor than me
- I roam around public day & night
- I am saying with confidence that only BJP would form the government
BJP resorting to EVM manipulation and mass deletion of anti-BJP votes across India. https://t.co/KTmDkGanld
- Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) December 8, 2018
- We have seen some exit poll which were in our favor and few were against
- We are going to form government in all three state
Successive electoral defeats have scarred the Congress irreparably. Their leaders are celebrating exit polls as if they were actual results...
- Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) December 8, 2018