Cliffhanger in MP; TRS retains power in Telangana; MNF wins in Mizoram

New Delhi:  In the first biggest win for Rahul Gandhi since he took over as AICC President last year, the grand old party Congress seemed all set to form Government in the BJP-ruled Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.

The trends for counting of votes for Assembly polls held in five States, taken up this morning, showed the Party surging ahead of the BJP in the two Hindi heartland States while giving a tough fight to the saffron party in the key State of Madhya Pradesh (MP).

The good showing by the Congress in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh and it giving a tough fight to BJP in Madhya Pradesh is seen as a first major win for Rahul Gandhi as Party President ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

AICC General Secretary Ashok Gehlot wasted no time to credit Rahul Gandhi for the Party’s spectacular show in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh and also giving a tough challenge to Shivraj Singh Chouhan-ruled Madhya Pradesh.

“The big message from the mandate is ever since he took over as Party President, Rahul Gandhi has given stiff challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP Chief Amit Shah in their native State of Gujarat last year and also now in the States where the BJP is in power,” Gehlot told reporters.

BJP leader Nalin Kohli admitted the mandate in Chhattisgarh was clearly against the BJP.

According to trends available when we went to the press, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) Chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao was all set to form Government in Telangana while  Mizo National Front (MNF) Chief Zoramthanga in Mizoram looked certain to form Government.

TRS retained power with nearly three-fourth majority bagging over 85 seats in the 119-Member Assembly, while the Congress-led Mahakutami alliance came a poor second with just 21 seats.

In the last Congress bastion of Mizoram in North Eastern region, the grand old party made way for the regional outfit MNF, which had ruled the State between 1998 and 2008.

Latest trends of counting    show the Congress taking a lead over the BJP in Rajasthan where it was leading in 101 seats while the BJP was ahead in 74 seats. In Chhattisgarh too, the Congress took a comfortable lead in 65 seats while BJP took lead in 19 seats.

Chief Minister Raman Singh, who was trailing against Congress nominee and Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s niece Karuna Shukla, however managed a slender lead of 100 votes from Rajnandgaon Assembly Constituency.

Madhya Pradesh is witnessing a neck and neck fight heading for a photo-finish.

The BJP, which is in power in the State since 2003, could maintain lead of 112 seats while the Congress has managed to march ahead in 108 seats.

The trends come as a huge setback for BJP, which has been in power in Rajasthan for five years and in Chhattisgarh for 15 years.