The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led in three of the four states in key regional polls on Sunday, according to data from the Election Commission of India (ECI). It signals a big boost for Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the general elections in six months' time.
The BJP was leading in all three core states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, according to ECI and vote counting trends shown on TV channels. These three states and Telangana voted last month in favor of the national elections, which will be held in May next year.
According to ECI, the BJP led in Madhya Pradesh with 155 seats out of the total 230. The Congress followed it with 73 seats and others with 2 seats. To achieve a majority, a party or coalition must win 116 seats.
In Rajasthan, the BJP led with 113 seats. It was followed by 70 seats for Congress and 13 seats for other parties. To win a majority, a party must secure 101 seats in the state.
In Chhattisgarh, out of 90 seats, the BJP led with 47 seats, followed by 40 for the Congress. Other parties were two seats ahead. For a majority, a party must win 46 seats in the state.
In Telangana, Congress led with 61 seats. CM K Chandrashekar Rao's Bharat Rashtra Samithi is leading with 38 seats. BJP leads with 11 seats and AIMIM with two seats. For a majority, a party must win sixty seats in the state.
Counting in these four states began at 8 a.m. on Sunday. The elections in these states took place last month between November 7 and 30.
First print: December 3, 2023 | 12:11 pm IST