Madhya Pradesh assembly elections highlights: PM Modi, central schemes helped, says Shivraj as BJP leads in 166 seats

India's ruling Bhartiya Janta Party clinched a massive victory in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly election. The results came out in favour of the BJP despite exit polls predicting a tight race..Read Here

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at BJP headquarters in New Delhi where he was felicitated by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the BJP president JP Nadda. Modi is set to address the party workers at headquarters in New Delhi.

Incumbent Chief Minister and BJP candidate Shivraj Singh Chouhan wins from Budhni seat by a margin of 1,04,974 votes. He received a total of 1,64,951 votes.

Clashes break out between BJP and Congress workers in Madhya Pradesh's Shajapur. Police resort to lathi charge to disperse them. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party is leading in 166 of 230 seats in Madhya Pradesh, according to the latest tally reported by Election Commission of India. The saffron colour shows the BJP while the blue represents the Congress party, the principal opposition party. 

Madhya Pradesh election results | Election Commission of India

Union Minister Smriti Irani and senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad reach party headquarters in Delhi as BJP leads with a comfortable margin in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.

"Narendra Modi's guarantee is about development. The trust people placed in his guarantee - as BJP workers we are thankful to them. BJP workers had clearly said that "Modi magic" will yield results and today's results are a symbol of that," says Union Minister Smriti Irani.

Union Minister and BJP leader Faggan Singh Kulaste is trailing by a margin of 5553 votes from the Niwas constituency, after the tenth round of counting. He has garnered a total of 50,522 votes so far.     

According to the EC data, the Bharatiya Janata Party is now leading on 161 assembly seats in the state.

As BJP leads in Madhya Pradesh, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reaches the party office in Bhopal, and celebrates with party workers.

Incumbent Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan speaking to the media hailed PM Modi for his numerous rallies in Madhya Pradesh before the election and pointed towards the proper implementation of central government schemes as the reason behind BJP inching towards a victory in the state.

"Modi ji MP ke mann mein hain aur Modi ji ke mann mein MP hai. He held public rallies here and appealed to the people and that touched people's hearts. These trends are a result of that. Double-engine government properly implemented the schemes of the Central Government and the schemes that were formed here also touched people's hearts. Madhya Pradesh became a family...I had said earlier too that the BJP would get a comfortable and grand majority as people's love for us was visible everywhere," said Chouhan

Bharatiya Janata Party workers celebrate at the party office in Gujarat's Gandhinagar, as the party leads in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.

Pledging a caste census, the opposition sought to make the Other Backward Classes (OBC) factor a key issue in the polls. A large OBC chunk is believed to be the BJP’s core vote base. Before Chouhan, OBC leaders Uma Bharti and Babulal Gaur have been the state's CM. PM Modi’s OBC origins have further helped the party make strong inroads into the community.

The Congress hopes to improve its chances among OBCs with the caste census demand, even as it has also sought an OBC quota within women’s reservation.

Parties leading:

BJP: 142

Cong: 85

Majority mark: 116

Total seats: 230

BJP has crossed the halfway mark in Madhya Pradesh assembly election results, leading on 133 seats, as per the early trends of the Election Commission of India. Meanwhile, Congress ios leading in 52, and Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP) in 3 seats.

BJP is on the way to a landslide victory in the state, with having registered a comfortable lead on 141 seats, way ahead of the majority mark. Congress, meanwhile, is struggling on 88 seats.

Parties leading:

BJP: 141

Cong: 88

Majority mark: 116

Total seats: 230

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh earlier said his party was poised to make a comeback in the elections.

"...I had said this earlier and I say it today as well - 130 plus. We are getting 130 seats; the rest is to be seen. Not only is his farewell (Shivraj Singh Chouhan) certain but his 'achhe din' also ends here," Singh said while talking to media in Bhopal.

Parties leading:

BJP: 140

Cong: 83

Majority mark: 116

Total seats: 230

BJP leader and Minister of Civil Aviation of India Jyotiraditya Scindia earlier said BJP was going to win elections with people's blessings.

"I have always said that as far as MP is concerned, our schemes of social welfare and upliftment of the poor, people's blessings will remain with the BJP," said Scindia  as initial poll trends favour BJP in Madhya Pradesh.

Parties leading:

BJP: 132

Cong: 88

Majority mark: 116

Total seats: 230

Cong leader and former CM Kamal Nath reacted to early trends on Sunday.  "I have not seen the trends, I trust the voters of Madhya Pradesh that they will keep their own future secure...Don't count the number of seats. We will comfortably," he told reporters.

Parties leading:

BJP: 132

Cong: 88

Majority mark: 116

Total seats: 230

Both current Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan from Bidhni and former CM Kamal Nath is leading from Chhindwara.

The incumbent BJP has now maintained a dominating lead over the opposition Congress in early trends.

BJP is leading on 130 seats while Cong on just 86 seats. The majority mark in the 230-seater assembly is 116.

Not to mention that these are early trends and are subjected to change drastically as counting continues.

Madhya Pradesh minister and BJP leader Narottam Mishra predicts, "We will win 125-150 seats in the state. BJP will form govt in the state. It is a matter of a few hours now."

Parties leading:

BJP: 95
Congress: 103
Total seats: 230

The Congress has displayed posters confidently asserting victory in the state Assembly polls, but it appears to be a self-inflicted injury. The prominently featured figure is Kamal Nath, with no mention of Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh. These posters strongly hint at the potential chief ministerial candidate for the Congress, should they emerge victorious.

Within 20 minutes of vote counting, both BJP and Cong have registered lead on above 40 seats each, out of 230 total assembly seats. The current tally heralds a tough fight between the two major parties, as also indicated in exit polls.

Parties leading:

BJP: 50

Cong: 42

Just ahead of counting of votes, Congress leader Jitu Patwari said the BJP has torn apart the dignity of democracy. 

"The kind of 'Tandav' the BJP had created by tearing apart the dignity of democracy, created a market of MLAs the country has seen. After all these circumstances, people have suffered the pain of inflation, unemployment, and diseases...The kind of chaos they have created in the country is about to end..." Congress leader Jitu Patwari said.

Leading:

BJP on 23 seats

Cong on 20 seats

As vote counting begins in Madhya Pradesh, BJP was already leading on 10 seats, while opposition Cong was leading on 9 seats.

The Madhya Pradesh elections will play a key role in Lok Sabha polls 2024. Of the 543 Lok Sabha seats, Madhya Pradesh's share is 29.

The state witnessed a record turnout of over 77 per cent during the Assembly polls on November 17. Despite Congress's hopes, four-time Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan asserts that the BJP's performance is sufficient for re-election.

While the BJP holds the advantage on paper, having won in three of the last four elections and predicted by four out of nine exit polls to return to power with substantial margins, the Congress aims to capitalise on anti-incumbency.

The 2023 Madhya Pradesh election offers a shot at redemption for the Congress and former Chief Minister Kamal Nath, following the tumultuous events of March 2020 when Jyotiraditya Scindia and several MLAs left the party, leading to the fall of the Congress government. Scindia joined the BJP, contributing to the BJP's return to power. Kamal Nath has accused Scindia of a "sauda" (deal) with the BJP.