Madhya Pradesh assembly results: BJP leading on 73 seats, Congress on 28 seats

Union Minister and BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia arrives at the residence of incumbent Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, in Bhopal.

As per the latest official EC trends, BJP is leading on 73 seats and Congress on 28 in the state.

Former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Kamal Nath said that he is "confident" about his party forming the government.

Speaking to the reporters here, the Congress leader said that he has 'trust' in the voters of the state.

"I have not seen any trends; I don't need to look at any trends till 11 am. I am very confident; I trust the voters of Madhya Pradesh..." he said.

However, it is to be noted that all leads now are based on the counting of postal ballots.

The BJP fought the poll under a largely collective leadership while Congress projected former Chief Minister Kamal Nath as its chief ministerial face.

Nath has been the MP Congress Committee (MPCC) president for several years. He has represented the Chhindwara parliamentary seat for nine terms since 1980, becoming one of the longest-serving MPs in the country.

In a run to the assembly polls, Nath targeted Chouhan for his alleged misgovernance, corruption, and failure to control crimes against women, tribals, and Dalits, focusing his campaign on hyperlocal issues, even as the Congress made several pro-poor and pro-farmer welfare promises.

The counting of votes of assembly elections held in Madhya Pradesh on November 17 began at 8 am on Sunday

The Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections were held on November 17, 2023, to elect all 230 members of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly. Voting was carried out in a single phase.

In Madhya Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress (INC) stand as the primary political forces. However, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) led by Mayawati and the Samajwadi Party (SP) also hold significance in the state's political landscape.

Most exit-poll projections released on Thursday put the BJP in the lead, with the Congress seen to be coming up short and not cashing in on the 'anti-incumbency' as they had hoped to. Some exit polls, however, gave an advantage to the Congress party.

Early counting trends in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday showed the BJP had taken a commanding lead in 37 seats according to results put out by the Election Commision of India.

Meanwhile, Congress was leading in 7 seats according to the trends put out by the EC at 9:30 am.

Madhya Pradesh has been a BJP stronghold for the last twenty years, barring the 15-month tenure of the Kamal Nath-led government when Congress came to power in 2018. (ANI)