Early trends have put the BJP slightly ahead of the Congress in Madhya Pradesh.
The BJP has defied the prediction of pollsters in Madhya Pradesh and has emerged nec-and-neck with the Congress in early trends. The party has expressed confidence of forming the government for the fourth consecutive time in the battleground state.
Early trends after 10 am showed the BJP leading in 110 seats to the Congress's 107. However, the two parties were exchanging the top sopt fast and furious. Exit polls had shown a tight contest in Madhya Pradesh, with many predicting a victory for the Congress.
"We will form the government in Madhya Pradesh," declared BJP national general secretary Arun Singh, even as live trends showed the BJP and Congress in a dead heat.
Given how close the battle is turning out, the Congress is likely to put its nose to the grindstone. The grand old party is trying to make a comeback in the state after 15 years on the opposition benches. The last time the Congress won an Assembly election in Madhya Pradesh was in 1998, when Digvijaya Singh was re-elected for a second consecutive term as CM.
BJP's Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been Chief Minister since 2005, and won re-election in 2008 and 2013. He was expected to be voted out by a significant anti-incumbency sentiment. However, he is hanging in and seems to have a real shot of returning as CM.
Madhya Pradesh is a key battleground state for both the Congress and the BJP. The large state will play a key role in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The Congress will be looking to eat into the BJP's dominance here, to weaken the foundations of the Hindi heartland wave that brought Narendra Modi to power at the Centre.
A victory in Madhya Pradesh would also represent the first major electoral battle for Congress chief Rahul Gandhi since he took over the reins of the party. The party has also seen a yet-unfinished tug-of-war for the Chief Ministership between party elder Kamal Nath and young turk Jyotiraditya Scindia. Analysts had predicted that this tussle could actually end up costing the Congress dear in some regions.
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