Madhya Pradesh election results HIGHLIGHTS: Congress claims victory with 116 MLAs, Kamal Nath meets media

It continues to be a close battle between the Congress and the BJP. Will CM Chouhan retain his chair? We'll have to wait and see

The BJP and the Congress are in a neck-to-neck fight in Madhya Pradesh as trends in all 230 Assembly seats show the opposition party having a slight edge over the ruling faction.

The BJP led by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is hoping for a fourth consecutive term in Madhya Pradesh but the contest is going right down to the wire, with the Congress posing a stiff fight.

The BJP had 166 seats in the outgoing assembly while the Congress had 57 and the BSP 4. Voters also had the option of choosing the BSP, which is contesting 227 seats, and the AAP, which is contesting 208 seats. The Samajwadi Party is also in the fray in 51 seats.

A voter turnout of 74.61 per cent was recorded this year, compared to 72.13 per cent in 2013. The percentage of women candidates has also risen to 9 per cent from 7 per cent last year.

Contestants to watch out for:

BJP

Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Yashodhara Raje Scindia (Vasundhara Raje's sister, BJP minister)

Krishna Gaur (daughter of former CM Babulal Gaur)

Fatima Siddiqui (lone Muslim BJP candidate)

Congress

Ajay Singh (Leader of the Opposition)

Arun Yadav (Former state Congress President, locking horns with Chouhan in Budhni)

Laxman Singh (Digvijay Singh's brother)

No wonder the BJP is so upset today. The voters just gave them a triple talaaq.

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) December 11, 2018

Kamal Nath writes to Governor

The mandate is the victory of women, farmers and youth, the Congressman added.

Kamal Nath meets media

Declaring simple majority, Kamal Nath said the election verdict is victory of the people of Madhya Pradesh.

BJP expresses confidence

BJP Madhya Pradesh state unit chief Rakesh Singh told media that that his party is in touch with victorious independent candidates and will meet Governor on Wednesday.

Gloomy faces engulf BJP headquaters

Atmosphere subdued at BJP state Headquaters. Tense faces amid talks among party workers.

Congress to claim victory in this seesaw battle?

Kamal Nath, Congress: These are trends, but I am fully confident that we will get full majority #MadhyaPradeshElections pic.twitter.com/IFoQVSf9E6

— ANI (@ANI) December 11, 2018

Congress workers raise slogans of Lord Ram and Kamal Nath under the same breath

"Jai Jai Sri Ram" and "Jai Jai Kamal Nath" slogans raised by Congress workers outside party HQ in Bhopal.

BJP's lone Muslim candidate Fatima Rasool Siddiqui trailing from Bhopal north

In Bhopal district, BJP's lone Muslim candidate Fatima Rasool Siddiqui is trailing. Congress is leading in Berasiya, Huzur and Madhya, while BJP leads in Govindpura, Dakshin Paschim and Narela.

Congress' Ajay Singh leading from Churhat

 Leader of the Opposition, Ajay Singh is currently leading from Churhat constituency. 

BJP takes the lead

 BJP leading in 111 seats while Congress in 110. 

An appointment will be given only after the situation is made clear by the Election Commission: Governor House

An appointment will be given only after the situation is made clear by the Election Commission: Governor House

Governor House: An appointment will be given only after the situation is made clear by the Election Commission. #MadhyaPradeshElections2018 https://t.co/HSpUhYOcov

— ANI (@ANI) December 11, 2018

Is Congress going to dethrone Shivraj Singh Chouhan?

#Results2018 : Going by the trends, #MadhyaPradesh looks like #kamal, as in #KamalNath. is blooming for the #Congress

— santwanabhattacharya (@santwana99) December 11, 2018

Congress inches closer to halfway mark

Current trend:

Congress: 111

BJP: 108

BSP: 5

Others: 6 (SP 4).

Congress seeks Governor's appointment

Congress party seeks an appointment late tonight with the Governor to stake their claims to form the government in Madhya Pradesh. The party has sought appointment by sending an email and a fax too.

PM Narendra Modi chairing emergency core meeting

Following the trends that are showing a step back for BJP in all three Hindi heartland states, PM Narendra Modi has called for an emergency core meeting.

Current status

Guna MP and Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scinda thanks people of MP for showing their support

जनादेश बदलाव का स्पष्ट संकेत दे रहा है।
कांग्रेस के सभी जाँबाज़ साथियों से उम्मीद करता हूँ कि पूरी जिम्मेदारी से जनता की आशाओं पर खरे उतरेंगे।#MadhyaPradeshElections2018 pic.twitter.com/zVgQT8Xvr1

— Jyotiraditya Scindia (@JM_Scindia) December 11, 2018

Madhya Pradesh: Congress party will go to the Governor House as soon as they win 116 seats in the state. The party has won 69 seats and is leading on 44 seats so far. #MadhyaPradeshElections pic.twitter.com/YvwrnTGFZQ

— ANI (@ANI) December 11, 2018

Eight BJP ministers trailing, ruling party loosing grip in Vidisha

8 BJP ministers, Jayant Malaiya, Rampal Singh, Deepak Joshi, Rajendra Shukla, Lal Singh Arya, Surendra Patwa, Jaibhan Singh Pavaiya, Narottam Mishra are trailing in Madhya Pradesh. 

BJP trails by 600 votes from Vidisha seat which is considered a saffron bastion.

Bala Bachchan trailing by 5000 votes

Senior Congress leader and deputy leader of opposition Bala Bachchan trails by 5, 000 votes in pocket borough Rajpur in Barwani district.

Early trends suggest hung Assembly in MP

Congress and BJP are both with 109 each and Others with 12. If this persists MP could be moving towards hung verdict for the first time

CM Chouhan retains his seat in Budhni

Shivraj Singh Chouhan wins Budhni constituency with a margin of 58,999 votes.

Chouhan wins in Budhni constituency

Shivraj Singh Chouhan wins Budhni constituency with a margin of 58,999 votes. #MadhyaPradeshElections pic.twitter.com/kTENV08Mvj

— ANI (@ANI) December 11, 2018

Celebrations begin for Congress as they take the lead in Rajasthan

#Visuals of celebration from outside Congress office in Delhi. #AssemblyElections2018 pic.twitter.com/4bWIf5EN8I

— ANI (@ANI) December 11, 2018

We accept the people’s mandate with humility, says Modi

We accept the people’s mandate with humility.

I thank the people of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan for giving us the opportunity to serve these states. The BJP Governments in these states worked tirelessly for the welfare of the people.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 11, 2018

PWD minister Rampal Singh trailing from Silwani constituency

Minister of State for school education Deepak Joshi (son of ex CM Kailash Joshi) trails from Hatpipliya seat of Dewas district, while PWD minister Rampal Singh trails from Silwani seat of Raisen district.

Congress trailing at the moment but it's too close to call

Current trends

227/230

BJP - 111

Congress- 109

Others - 7

It's a neck to neck fight in Madhya Pradesh

Current trends: 213/230

Congress: 104

BJP: 101

Others: 8

Here are the trends from all the five Assembly states:

Trends #AssemblyElections2018 #Results2018 #PollsWithAIR:#ChattisgarhElections2018 - Congress leading in 33, BJP-21, JCC(J)-5, BSP-1.। #TelanganaElections2018 : TRS ahead in 55,Congress-32, BJP-4, TDP-2, others-8.#MizoramElections2018 : MNF-16,Congress-13, BJP-2, Independent-1

— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) December 11, 2018

CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan leading from Budhni

BJP takes the lead, claims victory in one seat

The Bharatiya Janata Party has won one seat in Madhya Pradesh as of now. However, Congres is leading in 98 seats.

Current trends 161/230

Congress: 82

BJP: 80

Individual:  1

Rana Vikram Singh leading from Susner

Congress rebel Rana Vikram Singh leads from Susner seat of Agar Malwa district.

BJP cabinet ministers leading

Six cabinet ministers, jaibhan Singh pavaiya (Gwalior), Yashodhara Raje Scindia (Shivpuri), Rampal Singh (Silwani), Archana Chitnis (Burhanpur), Kunwar Vijay Shah (Harsud), Rajendra Shukla (Rewa) leading.

BJP's Yashodhara Raje Scindia wins from Shivpuri

Sports Minister Yashodhara Raje Scindia wins from Shivpuri with a margin of 28,748 vote.

Congress leading in 60 seats, Digvijay Singh confident of victory

Digvijay Singh says Rahul Gandhi is Congress face in MP. CM will be decided once we get the numbers. He is confident of Congress forming next govt with comfortable majority.

BJP trailing in Madhya Pradesh

Current trends suggest Congress leading in 43 seats.

Yashodhara Raje Scindia leading from Shivpuri

Sports minister Yashodhara Raje Scindia from Shivpuri leading after postal ballots counting.

Congress workers celebrate as party edges closer to victory

Madhya Pradesh: Celebrations underway outside Congress office in Bhopal. Congress has won 12 seats leading on 100 seats in the state. #AssemblyElectionResults2018 pic.twitter.com/SvKfj1d8rl

— ANI (@ANI) December 11, 2018

Only VVPAT chits to be counted for 144 seats

Due to lapses in not deleting mock poll before start of actual voting at 144 booths in 20 districts on voting day November 28, only VVPAT chits to be counted for those polling booths today.

Congress leaders AK Antony , Mallikarjun Kharge appointed as observers for Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, respectively

Congress leading in 12, BJP 11 seats

Out of the 23 seats, the early trends have suggested that Congress is leading in 12 seats while BJP in 11.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan hold emergency meeting

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is currently holding an urgent meeting with the party leaders at his residence in Bhopal. BJP national vice president and Rajya Sabha MP Prabhat Jha among those in attendance .

Congress leading in five seats

 Early trends are suggesting that Congress is leading in five seats.

Congress supporters pray outside Rahul Gandhi's residence

Congress workers perform 'hawan' outside Rahul Gandhi's residence in Delhi #AssemblyElections2018 pic.twitter.com/zkuKfW9T2T

— ANI (@ANI) December 11, 2018

Counting has begun for all 230 seats

 The first round of counting for all 230 seats is currently underway.

Congress, BSP, SP have same ideology, to form government in MP: Asserts Rahul Gandhi

The ideology of SP, BSP & Congress is the same - different from that of BJP. There will not be a big issue of Chief Minister face. It will be done smoothly, says Rahul Gandhi.

Narendra Modi failed to deliver on his promises: Rahul Gandhi

We are going to provide these states a vision. We are going to provide these states a govt that they can be proud of. It is clear that there is a feeling among the people of this country that Narendra Modi has not been able to deliver on his promises:  Congress president Rahul Gandhi

Will Shivraj Singh Chouhan retain his chair for the fourth consecutive term?

Although exit polls indicated a photo finish in Madhya Pradesh, it gave a slight edge to BJP this election.

(CLICK HERE TO READ MORE) 

Rahul Gandhi addresses media after Congress' victory in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh

I'd like to thank everyone who supported the Congress party, I'd also like to congratulate the parties which defeated us in Telangana and Mizoram. It's the victory of the traders, farmers and the youth. It's now the time for change.

This time the Congress has withheld the Chief Ministerial candidate's name, find out why

The Saffron party has declared the present Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan as its CM candidate, Congress hasn’t declared anyone yet.

(CLICK HERE TO READ MORE)

Counting to begin at 8

Counting of the ballots will begin exactly at 8 at the strong rooms spread across the state. 

Stay tuned as we bring in all the live updates from the hindi heartland.

TRENDS SO FAR:

WATCH | What's at stake this election for Madhya Pradesh

Digvijay Singh, Kamal Nath tasked with arranging numbers for reaching majority mark

Congress mobilises senior leaders Kamal Nath and Digvijay Singh to arrange the numbers to touch the majority mark for staking claim to form the new government. In this neck-to-neck fight, SP has already extended their support to Congress and BSP is likely to back the Opposition as well.

As Congress inches closer to victory, BJP headquarters wear a deserted look

Nine victories for BJP so far

The Election Commission has declared nine victories for BJP and two for Congress.

BJP's Krishna Gaur leading in Govindpura with over 50,000 votes

Krishna Gaur, daughter of former CM Babulal Gaur is currently leading from Govindpura.

CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan leading from Budhni with over one lakh votes

Aakash Kailash Vijayvargiya claims victory

BJP's Aakash Kailash Vijayvargiya wins from Indore-3 constituency with a margin of 7000 votes.

It's neck to neck between Congress and BJP

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee calls BJP's defeat 'the beginning of the end'

This is the semi-final of the final match as 2019 elections will be held in next 2-3 months. For 2019 final match game is clear, now we are just waiting for the elections.The countdown for 2019 has begun.This is the beginning of the end, says West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee

Five more rounds of counting left, Congress crosses halfway mark

Only five more rounds of counting are left to decide which party's fate will be sealed today in the state. As of 5 pm, Congress is inching closer to victory with 118 seats.

BJP claims victory in one seat

 The Bhartiya Janata Party has won one seat in Madhya Pradesh as counting nears the final phase.

BJP claims victory in one seat

 The Bhartiya Janata Party has won one seat in Madhya Pradesh as counting nears the final phase.

TRENDS: Congress inches closer to halfway mark

 Congress is currently leading in 115 seats while BJP is leading in 105. CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and leader of the Opposition Ajay Singh both are leading in their respective constituencies.

TRENDS:

Official ECI trends: Congress leading on 112 seats, BJP leading on 108 seats, BSP on 4 in Madhya Pradesh. #AssemblyElections2018 pic.twitter.com/oQTv1g0HFW

— ANI (@ANI) December 11, 2018

Congress pushes back to level grounds with BJP, both at 110

Around 40 seats could go down the wire as the difference there is between 100-1000 votes.

Around 40 seats could go down the wire as the difference there is between 100-1000 votes.

11 BJP ministers currently trailing

Jaibhan Singh Pavaiya, Vishwas Sarang, Archana Chitnis, Deepak Joshi, Sharad Jain, Lal Singh Arya, Jayant Malaiya and Narottam Mishra, Jaibhan Singh Pavaiya, Vishwas Sarang, Archana Chitnis, Deepak Joshi, Sharad Jain, Lal Singh Arya, Jayant Malaiya and Narottam Mishra, trailing in Madhya Pradesh.

Samajwadi Party extends support to Congress

The Samajwadi Party, which is leading in one seat, has extended its support to the Congress party in this nail-biting battle.

BJP MP Sanjay Kakade says defeat was on the cards for the ruling party in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan

Knew we would lose in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh but MP trends have come as a surprise. I think we forgot the issue of development that Modi took up in 2014. Ram Mandir, statues & name changing became the focus :Sanjay Kakade, BJP Rajya Sabha.

BJP leading in 111 seats

 After 10 rounds of counting, BJP is leading in 111 seats.

As saffron wave seems to fade from Hindi heartland, Mamata Banerjee calls it people's victory

People voted against BJP. This is the people’s verdict and victory of the people of this country 1/3

— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) December 11, 2018

Rahul Gandhi reaches 10 Janpath

Congress President Rahul Gandhi reaches Sonia Gandhi's residence at 10 Janpath.

BSP matriarch summons all her party candidate to Delhi

Mayawati, the possible kingmaker in MP, summoned all her candidates to Delhi.

Congress, BJP both reach out Mayawati for support in the neck-to-neck fight

As per TV reports, both Congress and BJP are reaching out to Mayawati's BSP for support speculating a possible hung Assembly. 

Mayawati is likely to support Congress.

With a seesaw situation prevailing in Madhya Pradesh, Others to be the kingmaker?

Although the Congress touched the halfway mark briefly during the second round of counting, there seems to be a constant seesaw situation prevailing in the state with either of the party failing to take an absolute lead.

With this scenario, will other regional parties like SP and BSP emerge as the kingmaker?