Informist, Thursday, Nov 30, 2023

NEW DELHI – The Congress party is likely to hold on to Chhattisgarh, besides wresting control of Telangana from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi, most exit polls have predicted today. Some polls showed the Bharatiya Janata Party retaining power in Madhya Pradesh, while others have projected a tight race in the state. The picture in Rajasthan seems hazy as the exit polls have projected varied outcomes.  

Meanwhile, in Mizoram, some polls indicate that the Zoram People's Movement could upstage the Mizo National Front to form the government in the northeastern state for the first time, even as others predict a close contest. However, none of the polls showed Congress, the only national party with a track record of forming the government in the state, doing very well.

Touted as a semi-final before next year's General Election, the state assembly elections saw the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party bring out all of its big guns, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited the four big states addressing dozens of rallies.

If the Congress manages to retake Chhattisgarh and do well in Rajasthan, despite the state's history of alternating governments, the party might be able to boast about having leaders in the north, who can stand up to Modi's popularity, at least at the state level. 

Both Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot sought votes in the name of their governance and policies.

Similarly, a victory will place BJP leader and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in a league of his own. Barring some months in 2018-2020, Chouhan has been the chief minister since 2005, which means some of the young voters in the state may have been born during his rule.

In Telangana, if predictions of a Congress victory come true, the state is likely to see a different chief minister for the first time since its inception in 2014. K. Chandrashekar Rao has been the chief minister since Telangana's formation, even though Congress has often claimed credit for carving out the state.

The outcome of these state elections could also indicate if many of the issues raised by the Opposition recently, most notably undertaking a caste census across the country, carry any political currency. 

It is worth mentioning that exit polls in India need to be taken with a pinch of salt, as there are numerous instances when these polls have failed to predict the correct outcome. 

The following are the seat projections for Chhattisgarh by various exit polls:

TOTAL SEATS 90

The following are the seat projections for Madhya Pradesh by various exit polls:

TOTAL SEATS 230

The following are the seat projections for Rajasthan by various exit polls:

TOTAL SEATS 199

The following are the seat projections for Telangana by various exit polls:

TOTAL SEATS 119

The following are the seat projections for Mizoram by various exit polls:

TOTAL SEATS 40

End

Reported by Anindya Thakuria and Surya Tripathi

Edited by Aditya Sakorkar

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