Beginning with postal ballots, counting will start at 8 am. (Representational)
New Delhi:
Counting of votes will likely be held on at this time in meeting polls in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Telangana in what’s seen as a semi-final contest forward of the final elections in lower than six months.
The Congress, which is in energy in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, and the BJP, which is ruling Madhya Pradesh, are locked in a straight combat in these three states, whereas Ok Chandrashekar Rao-led Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) is hoping for a hat-trick in Telangana.
Pollsters have been divided on the end result, with fairly just a few exit polls placing the BJP forward in Madhya Pradesh and giving it an edge in Rajasthan whereas predicting that Congress has a bonus in Telangana and Chhattisgarh.
Beginning with postal ballots, counting will start at 8 am amid tight safety for 230 seats in Madhya Pradesh, 90 seats in Chhattisgarh, 119 seats in Telangana and 199 seats in Rajasthan as polling on one seat within the desert state was delay as a result of dying of a candidate.
A 3-tier safety association has been put in place and solely individuals holding legitimate passes will likely be allowed to enter the counting centres, election officers mentioned.
After wresting Karnataka from the BJP in Might, the Congress is eyeing Madhya Pradesh and Telangana and is hoping to retain energy in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. A formidable efficiency in these polls will enhance the get together’s standing within the opposition INDIA alliance which has been fashioned to tackle the BJP within the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The BJP is in search of to duplicate the successful streak of Gujarat, the place it has been ruling since 1998, in Madhya Pradesh with four-time Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan hoping to type authorities once more. The get together can be eager to win again Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh because it seeks to regain its maintain within the Hindi heartland states forward of the Lok Sabha polls.
“The face of the Congress has been uncovered. Solely the outcomes are to return. The great governance that the general public wished will likely be discovered beneath the BJP authorities,” Union minister Anurag Thakur mentioned in Jaipur, including that the individuals need the “double-engine” authorities of the BJP.
With a number of pollsters predicting an in depth combat, there have been studies claiming that events have determined to herd their successful candidates swiftly to stop any poaching.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D Ok Shivakumar, nonetheless, dismissed studies that he has been requested to carry successful Congress candidates from the states to resorts and accommodations in Karnataka.
“No MLAs will likely be going wherever. No person has given me a accountability or referred to as me. … I’m assured that we’ll win all of the states,” Shivakumar, who had made comparable preparations to carry 44 Gujarat legislators in the course of the August 2017 Rajya Sabha elections, instructed reporters in Bengaluru.
Madhya Pradesh
The counting for 230 meeting seats in MP will likely be held at 52 district headquarters, officers mentioned.
As many as 2,533 candidates are in competition, together with political bigwigs like Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and his predecessor and rival Kamal Nath, in a ballot that was largely a bipolar battle between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress.
Chouhan claimed his get together would retain energy with a “big majority”, whereas state Congress chief Kamal Nath mentioned he had “full confidence” within the voters of the state.
Of the 230 seats, 47 are reserved for Scheduled Tribes and 35 for Scheduled Castes.
In addition to CM Chouhan (from Budhni seat) and state Congress president Nath (Chhindwara), the EVMs may even determine the destiny of three BJP Union ministers – Narendra Singh Tomar, Prahlad Patel and Faggan Singh Kulaste.
It’s going to additionally determine the political fortunes of BJP normal secretary Kailash Vijaywrgiya who contested from Indore-1 and three Lok Sabha MPs of the saffron get together – Rakesh Singh, Ganesh Singh and Riti Pathak.
Rajasthan
Over 1800 candidates are in competition in 199 seats in Rajasthan the place energy has alternated between Congress and BJP each 5 years within the final three a long time.
“The counting of poll papers will begin at 8 pm. As many as 979 tables have been organized for the counting of poll papers throughout the state. Sturdy rooms will likely be opened within the presence of observers, candidates and their representatives,” Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta mentioned.
Gupta mentioned that the counting of votes in EVM machines will start at 8.30 am.
Chhattisgarh
Tight safety preparations have been made in all counting centres within the state’s 33 districts, together with those affected by Left Wing Extremism (LWE), officers mentioned.
“The counting of postal ballots will start at 8 am. Half an hour after the postal ballots are counted, the method of counting votes from the EVMs will start.
“A complete of 90 returning officers, 416 assistant returning officers, 4596 counting personnel and 1698 micro-observers have been appointed for finishing up the counting course of easily,” Chhattisgarh Chief Electoral Officer Reena Baba Saheb Kangale mentioned at a press convention.
A complete of 1,181 candidates are within the fray, together with Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Deputy Chief Minister TS Singh Deo (each from Congress) and former CM Raman Singh of the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering.
Patan seat, represented by Baghel, is witnessing a triangular contest with BJP fielding the chief minister’s distant nephew and Lok Sabha MP Vijay Baghel.
Amit Jogi, Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J) state president and son of former CM late Ajit Jogi, can be within the fray from Patan.
Telangana
As many as 2,290 contestants are within the fray within the elections, together with BRS supremo Chandrasekhar Rao, his minister-son KT Rama Rao, TPCC president A Revanth Reddy and BJP Lok Sabha members Bandi Sanjay Kumar, D Arvind and Soyam Bapu Rao.
The BRS has fielded candidates in all 119 seats whereas the Congress gave one seat to its ally CPI. The BJP and Janasena contested 111 and eight seats respectively in a pre-poll pact. The Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM has put up candidates in 9 segments within the metropolis.
A number of segments witnessed triangular contests making them keenly watched ones.
Chief Minister Ok Chandrasekar Rao is contesting from two segments-Gajwel and Kamareddy. In a put up on X, BRS working president Ok T Rama Rao had earlier mentioned, “After a very long time had a peaceable sleep. Exit polls can take a hike. Actual polls will give us excellent news.” Dismissing some exit-poll surveys that advised that the ruling BRS will fall wanting a majority within the Meeting polls, Rama Rao had mentioned the Chandrasekhar Rao-led dispensation will return to energy with over 70 seats.