The much awaited results for the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections will be declared today. Counting of votes from the elections that took place on November 28 will begin today at 8am. The elections to the five states of Rajasthan, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram are being touted as the semi-final to the Lok Sabha polls 2019, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will seek re-election.
For full coverage on assembly elections, click here
Exit polls are predicting an edge-of-the-seat thriller in Madhya Pradesh, with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress locked in a neck and neck race. Battling anti-incumbency of 15 years, incumbent chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan hopes to retain power for the fourth time in a row.
Click here for live updates on assembly poll results
The Congress on the other hand, is banking on the triple anti-incumbency faced by the BJP government and hopes to storm back to power in the state which was once its bastion. The majority mark in the 230-seat house is 116. In the 2013 election, the BJP had bagged 165 seats while the Congress had come a distant second with 58 seats in its kitty.
For full coverage on Madhya Pradesh assembly elections, click here
Madhya Pradesh had registered a voter turnout of around 75 per cent in the November 28 assembly polls. The counting of votes will begin at 8 am. Early trends will start coming out soon although they are not an indication of the final outcome of the election.
Follow live updates here:
Congress workers celebrate as party takes early lead

Congress workers celebrate outside AICC headquarters in New Delhi.
(Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)
Congress workers celebrate

Congress workers celebrate outside AICC headquarters in New Delhi.
(Mohd Zakir/HT Photo)
Union minister Thawar Chand Gehlot confident of win
Rajya Sabha member from Madhya Pradesh and Union minister of social justice and empowerment Thawar Chand Gehlot speaks to reporters outside Parliament. He says, “I am confident BJP will form the government.”
Congress workers celebrate

Congress workers celebrate at AICC headquarters in New Delhi.
(Mohd Zakir/HT Photo)
Celebration at AICC headquarters

Congress workers celebrate at AICC headquarters in Delhi.
(Sanjeev Verma/HT Photo)
Congress ahead in 113 seats, BJP in 98
Congress ahead in 113 seats and BJP in 98 seats, according to latest trends.
Congress workers perform havan near Rahul Gandhi’s residence

Congress workers perform havan near Rahul Gandhi’s residence in New Delhi.
(Sanjeev Verma/HT Photo)
Rajnath Singh hopeful of BJP’s good performance
These are early trends. We hope to perform well: Rajnath Singh tells ANI.
BJP, Congress lead in 109 seats each
Both Congress and BJP are leading in 109 seats in Madhya Pradesh.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan leads
Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan ahead in Budhni.
EVM malfunction leads to ruckus
Ruckus in Bhopal southwest constituency counting hall after EVM malfunctions.
BJP leads in 88 seats, Congress in 101
BJP is leading in 88 seats, Congress in 101 seats, BSP in five and others in six seats, according to latest trends.
Congress supporters celebrate in Delhi

Congress supporters celebrate in Delhi.
(Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)
BJP headquarters in Delhi deserted
Counting on

Counting on at Old Jail Centre in Bhopal.
(Mujeeb Faruqui/HT Photo)
BJP is leading in 83 seats, Congress in 103
BJP is leading in 83 seats, Congress in 103, BSP in five and others in four seats, according to latest trends.
BJP leads in 75 seats, Congress in 86
BJP leading in 75 seats, Congress in 86, BSP in six and others in four seats, according to latest trends.
Two more ministers trailing
Higher education minister Jaibhan Singh Pawaiya trailing from Gwalior. General administration minister Lal Singh Arya also trailing from Gohad.
BJP bigwigs trailing
BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya’s son Akash is trailing from Indore 3 constituency. Also trailing is public relation minister Narottam Mishra.
Congress supporters celebrate as party takes early lead

Congress supporters celebrate at a party office in Bhopal.
(Burhaan Kinu/HT Photo)
BJP leads in 58 seats, Congress in 67
BJP is leading in 58 seats, Congress in 67, BSP in five and others in two, according to latest trends.
BJP leads in 57 seats, Congress in 66
BJP is leading in 57 seats, Congress in 66, BSP in five and others in two, according to latest trends.
BJP leading in Sihora and Narsingarh
BJP is ahead in two constituencies of Madhya Pradesh in Sihora and Narsingarh, according to the Election Commission of India.
BJP leads in 46 seats, Congress in 40
BJP is leading in 46 seats, Congress in 40, BSP in two and others in two, according to latest trends.
BJP leads in 46 seats, Congress in 36
BJP is leading in 46 seats, Congress in 36, BSP in two and others in two, according to latest trends.
BJP’s Kailash Vijayvargiya confident of victory
We will definitely form the government in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Seeing the early trends coming in from Rajasthan, we believe the BJP will form the government there as well: Kailash Vijayvargiya, BJP, tells ANI.
BJP leads in 41 seats, Congress in 35
BJP is leading in 41 seats, Congress in 35, BSP in one and others in two, according to latest trends.
All eyes on TV

Congress supporters monitor election results on the big screen at a party office in Bhopal.
(Burhaan Kinu/HT Photo)
Confident of victory: Digvijay Singh
It’s too early. Anything can be said only after 12 pm. Leads of only postal ballots have come till now. I am confident that in Madhya Pradesh, Congress will form the government. We have favourable situation in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh also: Veteran Congress leader Digvijay Singh tells ANI.
Congress leading in 34 seats
BJP is leading in 32 seats, Congress in 34, BSP in one and others in two, according to latest trends
BJP now leading in 32 seats
BJP is leading in 32 seats, Congress in 31, BSP in one and others in two, according to latest trends.
BJP leads in 30 seats, Congress in 28
BJP is leading in 30 seats, Congress in 28, BSP in one and others in one, according to latest trends.
Media gathers outside Congress office

Media and police gather outside Congress office in Bhopal.
(Burhaan Kinu/HT Photo)
BJP leads in 19 seats
Congress leads in 18 assembly seats, BJP in 19, according to latest trends.
BJP, Congress lead on 12 seats each
BJP and Congress are leading on 12 seats each, according to latest trends.
TV cameras line up outside BJP office

TV cameras lined up at BJP headquarters in Bhopal.
(Burhaan Kinu/HT Photo)
Counting underway

Postal ballot counting at Bhopal old jail counting centre.
(Mujeeb Faruqui/HT Photo)
Exit poll predictions
Times Now-CNX had predicted a majority for the BJP with 126 seats and gave 89 to the Congress. In contrast, the ABP News exit poll gave Congress a decisive win with 126 seats and said BJP would win 94 assembly constituencies.
Congress leads in five seats
Congress ahead in five seats, BJP in four, according to initial trends.
BJP leads in three seats, Congress in two
BJP leads in three seats, Congress in two, according to early trends, reports LiveHindustan.com.
BJP ahead in two seats
BJP ahead in two seats, Congress in one, according to early trends, reports LiveHindustan.com.
BJP went all guns blazing
Prime minister Narendra Modi had addressed 10 public meetings across all regions of the state, while BJP president Amit Shah held 26 public meetings and three road shows in the run-up to the elections.
BJP had won 165 seats in 2013
In the 2013 elections, BJP had won 165 out of the total 230 seats, followed by the Congress (58), BSP (4) and Independents 3.
Counting begins
Counting has begun for 230 seats. It’s a close race between the BJP and Congress.
Republic TV-Jan Ki Baat exit poll
The Republic TV-Jan Ki Baat poll has predicted that the BJP will win 108-128 seats and Congress 95-115. The India Today-Axis poll gave 102-120 seats to the ruling party and 104-122 to the Congress.
Exit polls give mixed predictions
Though all exit polls predicted a slide in the BJP’s fortunes, some of them have gone to the extent of giving a clear majority to the Congress.
Congress confident of victory
मप्र की जनता को अग्रिम बधाई और मंगलकामनायें..।
—कांग्रेस के साथियों/समर्थकों और मप्र की आज़ादी की लड़ाई लड़ रहे करोड़ों योद्दाओं को प्रचण्ड मतों/सीटों से विजय की शुभकामनायें।
आज हम कांग्रेस के प्रतिनिधित्व में मप्र के सुनहरे भविष्य की गाथा लिखेंगे।
“जय कांग्रेस, विजय कांग्रेस”
— MP Congress (@INCMP) December 11, 2018
15,000 employees drafted for counting process
Madhya Pradesh chief electoral officer VL Kantha Rao had earlier said 15,000 employees have been drafted for the counting process which will be monitored through 1,200 CCTV cameras installed at 51 centres across the state.
Samajwadi Party expecting calls too
Samajwadi Party state spokesperson Yash Yadav had earlier said no party approached them so far but he is expecting calls today once results are out.
BSP hopes to emerge kingmaker
“Let the results come out. There will be attempts by certain parties to seek our support. However, a decision on the same will be taken by Behan ji (BSP chief Mayawati) only”, BSP state in-charge Ramachal Rajbhar had earlier said.
Smaller players in fray
Prominent smaller players in the state are Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Samajwadi Party (SP), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Left parties and SAPAKS (a party espousing the cause of upper caste Hindus).
Congress too confident of win
Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath had said on Monday, “We will win more than 140 seats. Wait till tomorrow, everything will be clear by then.”
Party campaign committee chief Jyotiraditya Scindia had said on Sunday that the Congress worked as a “united front” to dislodge the BJP and that there was an “uprising for change” across the state.
Shivraj Chouhan confident of victory
Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had earlier dismissed the exit polls and said the BJP could cross 200 seats in the 230-member assembly. “We will romp home,” he had said.
Bhopal police assure security during counting
Dedicated teams have been deployed to ensure full security. Diversion points have been put on roads outside counting centres. There is a three-tier security system. Any device that can help communication is not allowed inside: Bhopal city SP tells ANI outside Old Central Jail counting centre
Counting to begin at 8 am
Madhya Pradesh chief electoral officer VL Kantha Rao told reporters that counting would begin at 8 am with postal ballots at 51 centres across the state.
Credit: Source link