BHOPAL: Even as early trends on Sunday showed the Bharatiya Janata Party heading for an emphatic win over the Congress in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls.
As per the ECI, the BJP is leading in 161 of 230 seats, Congress on 66 seats while Gondvana Gantantra Party and Bahujan Samaj Party with two seats, respectively. At 10:28 am. Bharatiya Janata Party received 48.51 per cent votes while Congress 40.6 per cent votes.
As ECI results indicated a return to power, CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan credited the double engine BJP government for the party's success in the state. "Modi ji MP ke mann mein hain aur Modi ji ke mann mein MP hai. He held public rallies here and appealed to the people and that touched people's hearts. These trends are a result of that. Double-engine government properly implemented the schemes of the Central Government and the schemes that were formed here also touched people's hearts."
Chouhan relied heavily on schemes for women like the 'Ladli Behna Yojana' under which Rs 1250 are being transferred monthly to eligible women from poor families in the state. Congress has described it an election sop, implemented months before the assembly polls, the BJP leaders have said that it is in line with the party's work for empowering women.
Just a day ahead of voting, Chouhan said, "Kaante ki takkar', 'Kaante ki takkar'...'Laadli behna ne saare kaante nikaal diye (What neck-to-neck fight? The daughters and sisters seems to have set us on the road to victory".
"I had said BJP will get a comfortable majority and we are getting it, I give the whole credit to Ladli Behnas for this impressive performance," Chouhan said on early trends.
However, several ministers in the Chouhan cabinet, including high-profile home minister Narottam Mishra, were trailing after initial rounds of counting.
Mishra, also the spokesperson of the state government and often in the news for his statements on various issues, is trailing by 2,243 votes against the Congress' Rajeandr Bharti in Datia after the second round of counting.
Others who are behind include Arvind Bhadoria (Ater), Mohan Yadav (Ujjain South), Vishwas Sarang (Narela), Mahendra Singh Sisodia (Bamori) and Rajyavardhan Singh Dattigaon (Badnawar).
Arvind Bhadoria is trailing by 6,170 votes against Congress candidate Hemant Katare after the third round, while Dattigaon is behind Congress' Bhawar Singh Shekhawat by 3,195 votes after the seventh round of counting.
Mohan Yadav is trailing by 2,025 votes against Congress candidate Chetan Yadav after three rounds.
Sisodia is behind by 16,215 votes against Congress candidate Rishi Agrawal after six rounds.
Vishwas Sarang is trailing by 1,049 votes from Narela where Congress candidate Manoj Shukla is ahead after round two of the counting.
The Congress had listed 59 promises in its 106-page manifesto, with assurances for all sections of the society, including farmers, women and government employees.
Polls were held for the 230-member Assembly on November 17.
(With imputs from PTI, ANI)