Election recap: Here's what happened in the 5-poll bound states in 2018

The five states will go to the polls between November 7 and 30. Results will be declared on December 3.

Published on: Oct 9, 2023, 17:06:31 IST

By HT News Desk

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The Election Commission on Monday announced the poll schedule of five states – Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Mizoram.

Five states will go to the polls between November 7 and 30. (PTI)

The election in Chhattisgarh will be held in two phases, with the first round of voting on November 7 and the second round on November 17.

In Mizoram, the voting will be on November 7, while in Madhya Pradesh, the elections will be held on November 17. Rajasthan will go to polls on November 23 and Telangana on November 30 in a single phase.

The counting of votes in all five states will be held on December 3. The polls would set the stage for the last major electoral exercise ahead of the 2024 national elections.

While the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) rules Telangana, Madhya Pradesh is ruled by the BJP. The Congress is in power in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan and the Mizo National Front is in power in the northeastern state.

Here's a round of what happened when these states went to elections last time.

Madhya Pradesh

The 2018 assembly election in the state resulted in a hung assembly after the Congress won 114 seats, two less than the majority mark in the 230-seat member assembly, while the BJP won 109 seats. The Congress formed the government in December 2018 with the support of two Bahujan Samajwadi Party MLAs, one Samajwadi Party and four independent MLAs.

However, after 15 months on March 21, 2020, as many as 22 sitting Congress MLAs resigned under the leadership of Jyotiraditya Scindia and joined the BJP, bringing down the Kamal Nath-led Congress government. On March 23, Shivraj Singh Chouhan took oath as chief minister and formed the BJP government.

Rajasthan

In the 2018 Assembly election, the Congress defeated the BJP by winning 100 seats. The BJP got 73.

Congress veteran Ashok Gehlot formed the government with the support of BSP and independent MLAs.

In 2020, Gehlot's government faced a test after his deputy, Sachin Pilot, along with 18 MLAs decamped to neighbouring Haryana, where the BJP is in power. His move led to reports that the saffron party was trying to woo the disgruntled leader and topple Gehlot's government. Pilot was sacked both as deputy chief minister and state Congress chief.

The nearly month-long crisis forced the Congress' high command to intervene.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Congress leader Sachin Pilot. (ANI)

In 2022, the state again witnessed drama after a majority of the Congress MLAs offered to resign amid speculations of Gehlot being fielded as Congress president.

This time, the incumbent Congress aims to win the state and break the three-decade-old trend of power being shared between Congress and BJP alternately.

Chattisgarh

Congress registered a landslide victory in the 2018 Chhattisgarh polls, winning a massive 68 seats in the 90-member assembly.

The BJP, which was in power in the state since 2003, was reduced to 15 seats while former chief minister Ajit Jogi-led Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J) managed to win five seats. Jogi’s ally Bahujan Samaj Party had won two seats. The Congress party appointed Bhupesh Baghel as chief minister.

In June this year, the Congress party, in a surprise move, appointed TS Singh Deo as deputy chief minister of the state, just months ahead of the Assembly polls.

Singh Deo has been seen as a rival of Baghel and the move was seen as an attempt of the party to avoid a Rajasthan-like situation in Chhattisgarh.

Telangana

Early polls were necessitated in Telangana in 2018 after Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao dissolved the assembly in September of that year.

Counting of votes was held across all five states and results were declared on December 11, 2018.

The Telangana Rashtra Samiti, now renamed Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), retained power after winning 88 out of the 119 seats in the Assembly. The Congress won 19, while the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen won 2 seats.

Bharat Rashtra Samithi chief and Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.

The BRS is now hoping to return to power after winning the polls in 2014 and 2018 even as a resurgent Congress is expected to put up a stronger fight.

Mizoram

The Mizo National Front (MNF) formed the government in Mizoram in 2018, defeating the Congress in its last bastion in the northeast.

The MNF bagged 26 of the 40 seats and secured a majority on its own with a 37.70% vote share. The Congress, which was in power since 2008, came third with just five seats and 30% of the votes.

The MNF had returned to power in Mizoram after 10 years. MNF leader Zoramthanga was appointed as the chief minister.

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HT News Desk
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