Assembly elections 2018 results: Stage set for counting of votes in 5 states on Tuesday

Counting of votes polled in the assembly elections held in five states - Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and BJP, will be done on Tuesday, after the states witnessed a tight race between political parties in the run-up to the elections.

Image: AFP

New Delhi: The result of the assembly polls in the five states - Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Telangana will be declared on Tuesday, in what is being viewed as semi-finals for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Ahead of the parliamentary elections, the assembly elections will test the popularity of Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress. The counting of the votes is expected to begin by 8 am and a clear trend is likely to emerge by afternoon. Over 8,500 candidates were in fray in polls for these assemblies and their electoral fate is currently sealed in over 1.74 lakh EVMs, stored in over 670 strongrooms across the five states. A total of 678 assembly seats across five states went for polls, after polling was countermanded in one seat in Rajasthan due to death of a BSP candidate. Exit polls have mostly forecast a close tussle between the ruling BJP and the Congress in Madhya Pradesh and neighbouring Chhattisgarh, while many of them have given a clear majority to the Congress against the ruling BJP in Rajasthan. Many exit polls have also given the Congress an edge over the BJP in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in fiercely-contested battles. Tight security arrangements have been made in Chhattisgarh where at least 12 assembly seats are in naxal-affected areas. The elections in the state were also flawed by allegations of faulty EVMS. In the state, it is being viewed as a prestige battle for three-term Chief Minister Raman Singh and the opposition Congress which is eyeing a comeback. In Rajasthan, nearly 20,000 government staff will be deployed for counting of votes. The Congress’ optimism in the state has been boosted by the exit polls which predicted an imminent Congress government there. In Madhya Pradesh, surveys have predicted an interesting contest in Madhya Pradesh, where the BJP is trying for a consecutive fourth term. In Telangana, the caretaker government led by K Chandrasekhar Rao is hoping to dash to power again with all the surveys giving prediction in its favour and Owaisi-led AIMIM pledging support.