WEB DESK
In 200-member Rajasthan Assembly, Congress has bagged 99 seats, while BJP got 73. BSP won Six and RLD One. Independents have won 13 seats. Others have bagged 7.
Election to Ramgarh seat was countermanded due to death of BSP candidate.
Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has won from Jhalarapatan defeating her nearest Congress rival Manvendra Singh who left BJP just before the elections. Speaker of state Assembly and BJP candidate Kailash Chandra Meghwal won from Shahpura reserved seat. He defeated his nearest rival of Congress Mahaveer Prasad by a margin of over 56000 votes.
State Congress Chief Sachin Pilot of Congress has won from Tonk defeating BJP candidate Yoonus Khan by over 54 thousand votes. Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot of Congress has won Sardarpura constituency defeating BJP rival Shambhu Singh Khetasar by a margin of over 44 thousand votes. Home Minister and BJP candidate Gulab Chand Kataria, Education Minister Vasudev Devnani, Women and Child development minister Anita Bhadel and Higher Education Minister Kiran Maheshwari have won their respective seats. However, P.H.E.D. Minister Sudheel Katara lost from Chorasi seat.
Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh has given a thumping majority to the Congress, ending the three-term rule of Bharatiya Janata Party’s Dr Raman Singh. Although exit polls had predicted a tight contest, it eventually turned out to be one-sided, with the BJP losing a significant percentage (8%+) of its votes in the state. The ‘Third Front’, led by Ajit Jogi’s Chhattisgarh Janata Congress (JCC) with ally Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which was tipped to eat into the Congress vote share, seems to have damaged the prospects of the BJP more than the Congress.
In Chhattisgarh, 58 results have been declared. Congress got 45 seats and leading in 23, while BJP bagged 10 and leading in 5.
Chief Minister Raman Singh is leading in Rajnandgaon constituency. Congress candidate and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s niece Karuna Shukla is trailing on the same seat.
Former Chief Minister and Janta Congress Chhattisgarh leader Ajit Jogi is leading on Marwahi seat and his wife Renu Jogi from Kota. State Congress President Bhupesh Baghel is leading from Patan seat.
So, how did the Congress win so convincingly in the absence of a wave?” asks Anand Kochukudy, a Delhi-based political commentator.
“The people of Chhattisgarh have given a chance to the BJP for the past 15 years, I am thankful for that. We did what we thought was best for the state. The moral responsibility of this loss should be accepted by me… we are going to play an important and new role of Opposition and serve the people of Chhattisgarh in Opposition. I will continue working for the rest of my life,” Incumbent CM Raman Singh said while addressing media.
Singh has said that he has tendered his resignation to the Governor.
“We are going to analyse with everyone about the loss… The elections are fought in state on the basis of issues of the state, general elections will be fought in 2019,” Singh added when asked about Congress’ claim that this is a result of double anti-incumbency, both at the Center as well as the state.
Madhya Pradesh
In most crucial Madhya Pradesh, 170 results have come in. BJP has won 82 seats and leading in 28 while Congress won 84 and leading in 30. SP got one seat. 3 independents too have won the polls
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has won from Budhni constituency. Opposition leader and Congress candidate Ajay Singh lost from Churhat, former Chief Minister and Congress leader Digvijay Singh’s son Rajyavardhan Singh has won from Raghogarh. Congress candidate Sartaj Singh lost to BJP leader and assembly Speaker Sitasharan Sharma on Hoshangabad seat.
