National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah Friday said Congress president Rahul Gandhi is no longer a "Pappu" and has proved his mettle as a leader by winning elections in three Hindi heartland states.

Rahul no longer a 'Pappu' after poll win in three states: Farooq Abdullah

By the end of the day, the results of Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Telangana will be known. With that, we would know how many states the BJP retained in the Hindi hinterland, and if Congress retained its last bastion in the northeast and also whether TRS managed to hold on to the newly carved Telangana or not.

Assembly elections 2018: No matter who triumphs, demand for Ram temple unlikely to die down

The Bharatiya Janata Party looked set to lose power in the three key states of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, official vote counts showed on Tuesday, likely handing Prime Minister Narendra Modi his biggest defeat since he took office in 2014, and only months ahead of a general election.

Election results could force government to up spending in rural India

The Bharatiya Janata Party believed it would retain Rajasthan with a clear victory. The Congress was confident that it would sweep the election. The voters of the state had a somewhat different plan, which became known on December 11.

Assembly election results 2018: In Rajasthan, incoming Congress regime has a lesson to learn from BJP