Game-changing day for BJP & Cong ahead of LS polls

NT Correspondent

New Delhi: On Sunday, the vote count in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana will reveal the strengths and weaknesses of both the BJP and its primary rival, the Congress.

This event precedes the Lok Sabha elections and provides valuable insights, guiding the parties in adjusting their strategies based on the outcomes.

When the counting of votes for four assembly polls are over on Sunday, their results will not only have a major impact on the country's political landscape but may also mark a defining turn in the fortunes of several regional satraps, especially in the BJP, around whom politics in their states have revolved for decades.

The Congress, which is in power in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, and the BJP, which is ruling Madhya Pradesh, are locked in a straight fight in these three states, while K Chandrashekhar Rao-led Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) is hoping for a hat-trick in Telangana.

Pollsters have been divided on the outcome, with quite a few exit polls putting the BJP ahead in Madhya Pradesh and giving it an edge in Rajasthan while predicting that Congress has an advantage in Telangana and Chhattisgarh.

Starting with postal ballots, counting will commence at 8 am amid tight security for 230 seats in Madhya Pradesh, 90 seats in Chhattisgarh, 119 seats in Telangana and 199 seats in Rajasthan as polling on one seat in the desert state was put off due to the death of a candidate.

In Mizoram, counting will be held on Monday The outcomes will carry significant implications for political parties and leaders such as Kamal Nath, Ashok Gehlot, Bhupesh Baghel, A Revanth Reddy (all Congress leaders), as well as Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Vasundhara Raje, Raman Singh (all associated with the BJP), and K Chandrasekhar Rao (BRS).

After wresting Karnataka from the BJP in May, the Congress is eyeing Madhya Pradesh and Telangana and is hoping to retain power in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.

An impressive performance in these polls will boost the party's standing in the opposition INDIA alliance which has been formed to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The BJP is seeking to replicate the winning streak of Gujarat, where it has been ruling since 1998, in Madhya Pradesh with four-time Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan hoping to form government again.

The party is also keen to win back Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh as it seeks to regain its hold in the Hindi heartland states ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

With several pollsters predicting a close fight, there were reports claiming that parties have decided to herd their winning candidates swiftly to prevent any poaching and were also reaching out to independents, rebel candidates and smaller parties.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, however, dismissed reports that he has been asked to bring winning Congress candidates from the states to resorts and hotels in Karnataka.

"No MLAs will be going anywhere. Nobody has given me a responsibility or called me. ... I am confident that we will win all the states," Shivakumar, who had made similar arrangements to bring 44 Gujarat legislators during the August 2017 Rajya Sabha elections, told reporters in Bengaluru.

Fate of BRS to be unsealed

It will be clear whether the voters preferred the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao-led regime for a third term, or the “six guarantees” by the Congress worked any miracles, or whether the BJP’s BC chief minister’s mantra’ wooed the electors, or if there will be a fractured verdict, by today evening.

The BRS campaign centred on the previous Congress regime's failures and ongoing welfare measures for farmers and women. Rao also highlighted his struggle to achieve Telangana statehood.