As assembly election counting is underway, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is strengthening in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, according to the latest poll results. Meanwhile, the Indian National Congress (INC) has gained momentum in Telangana.

This year’s assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telangana and Mizoram have been touted as a prelude to next year’s Lok Sabha elections.

According to the latest trends, the BJP has crossed the halfway mark in Madhya Pradesh. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s party is currently leading in 155 of the 230 Parliament seats, while the Congress is ahead in 68 seats. The BJP, which has been in power in Parliament since 2003 except for the 15 months between December 2018 and March 2020, had earlier said it wanted to cross the 150 mark in the state. In the 2018 general elections, the Congress secured 114 assembly seats while the BJP secured 109 seats. The assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh were held on November 17.

Meanwhile, in the western state of Rajasthan, the saffron party is poised to return to power after a five-year hiatus. As per the latest trends, the BJP is leading with 110 of the 199 seats while the Congress has 73 seats. To form a government in the state, a party or coalition must secure 100 seats. In 2018, the BJP secured 73 seats while the Congress secured 100 seats. The assembly elections in Rajasthan were held on November 30.

In Chhattisgarh, the BJP is leading with 54 seats out of the 90 seats in Parliament, while the Congress is leading with 35 seats. To form a government in the state, a party or coalition must secure 46 seats. In the 2018 assembly elections, the Congress secured 68 seats while the BJP won 15 seats.

In Telangana, the Congress is leading with 67 seats in the 119 Assembly seats, while the regional Bharat Rashtra Samithi party led by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has won 35 seats. The BJP is currently leading in nine seats. The Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majilis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) is leading with six seats. The 2023 general elections in the state were held on November 25 this year.

In the 2018 assembly elections, BRS secured 88 seats while Congress secured 19 seats.

Meanwhile, the counting of assembly elections in Mizoram, which took place on November 7, will take place on December 4.