Madhya Pradesh Election Result 2023: The ground is set to witness a largely bipolar battle between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress. The battle for power will reach its conclusion with the results being out soon today. The counting of votes will commence at 8.00 am.
The polling took place on November 17 and the Election Commission of India (ECI) will officially release the results on its website on Sunday. The polling witnessed a voter turnout of 76.22 per cent, surpassing the 2018 elections by 0.59 per cent, which recorded a turnout of 75.63 per cent.
Madhya Pradesh Assembly Election Live Today
The day has come to decide who will win the heart of India. Will it be yet another innings for Shivraj Singh Chouhan, or will Kamal Nath be forming the government?
The 230-seat Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections were held in a single phase and now await the moment of truth. The results will be announced by the Election Commission of India. As the nation awaits the results, all eyes are on the contest between the incumbent BJP party and the Congress.
Congress has projected the state Congress president and party’s CM face Kamal Nath. It will be interesting to see if he will be able to dethrone the incumbent Shivraj Singh Chouhan. However, the BJP’s CM face remains unclear. They have strategically fielded three Union ministers – Narendra Singh Tomar, Prahlad Singh Patel, and Faggan Singh Kulaste, keeping the window open for a new CM face.
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Meanwhile, the incumbent Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, will contest from his customary Budhni seat, while the Congress nominated Vikram Mastal will take him head-on. Kamal Nath will be contesting against BJP’s Vivek Bunty Sahu, who has been fielded from the Chhindwara seat.
The BJP has been majorly focusing on welfare schemes, whereas the Congress has been relying on the OBC factor to woo the voters.
What have the exit polls predicted?
Exit polls conducted post-assembly elections in five states indicate a close battle between BJP and Congress in Madhya Pradesh. The 15-year BJP rule faces a potential challenge from Congress, raising questions about who will win the Hindi heartland. Survey predictions vary: India Today-Axis My India and Republic P-MARQ foresee a BJP return, while TV9 Bharatvarsh-Polstrat and Times Now-ETG suggest Congress’s victory.
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Axis My India has predicted BJP to secure 140-162 seats, while Congress is projected to win 68-90 seats. Republic TV predicts BJP dominance with 118-130 seats against Congress’s 97-107 seats. News24-Chanakya leans towards BJP with 150+ seats, projecting Congress to secure 74 seats. The outcome remains uncertain, with opinions divided on whether Congress returns to power or BJP continues its reign.
Madhya Pradesh Assembly election 2018:
Shivraj Singh Chouhan has maintained his stronghold on the state for three consecutive terms from 2005 to 2018 marking 15 years. However, in the 2018 state assembly elections, the BJP secured 109 seats, while the Indian National Congress emerged as the single largest party, securing 114 out of 230 seats. The Congress formed a coalition government with the support of the Bahujan Samaj Party and a few independent MLAs. Kamal Nath of the Indian National Congress assumed office as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, replacing Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s long-standing leadership. However, the state witnessed a change in government in 2020 when the Congress-led government collapsed after a tenure of just 15 months.
Jyotiraditya Scindia, the prominent Congress leader, defected to the BJP along with his loyalists, which made Congress lose the majority in the state. In the aftermath of the bypoll, it allowed the BJP to shore up the numbers required to form the government, paving the way for Chouhan’s return as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh once again.