Chhattisgarh (90 seats)
| Party | Won | Leading | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bharatiya Janata Party | 9 | 6 | 15 |
| Indian National Congress | 44 | 24 | 68 |
| Janta Congress Chhattisgarh | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Communist Party of India | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gondvana Gantantra Party | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bahujan Samaj Party | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Total (Majority mark: 46) | 56 | 34 | 90 |
The Congress looked set to win in a landslide in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday, defeating the incumbent BJP, which had been in power for 15 years. At 11.47 pm, the Congress had won 44 seats and was leading in 24, in the 90-seat Assembly. The saffron party, on the other hand, had won just nine seats, and was ahead in seven. Chief Minister Raman Singh handed over his resignation to Governor Anandiben Patel in the evening.
During the 2013 Assembly election, the BJP won 49 of the 90 seats.
The 2018 elections were held in two phases on November 12 and November 20. A voter turnout of 76.28% was recorded in the first phase and a turnout of 71.93% was recorded in the second phase.
Here’s how the counting day unfolded:
11.47 pm: The Congress has so far won 44 seats and is leading in 24. The BJP, which was in power before the elections, has managed to win just nine seats, and is ahead in five. The Congress is headed for a massive majority in the state.
11.20 pm: Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Tejashwi Yadav says: “I thank people of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan for the way they have voted against this tyranny [BJP rule]. “I think this was needed, it was needed to teach those people a lesson who indulge in ‘jumlebaazi’ [false promises]. It’s just the beginning. People will give them a true reply in 2019.”
10.55 pm: The Nationalist Congress Party says the BJP’s poor performance in five states is the result of its “arrogance”, PTI reports. The party says the result portend a loss for the BJP in the 2019 General Elections.
“These results clearly indicate that people do not believe in the communal forces,” Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar tweets. “What they really want is peace and progress.”
10 pm: Narendra Modi tweets that he “accepts the people’s mandate with humility”. He congratulates the winners and thanks BJP workers for their hard work. “Today’s results will further our resolve to serve people and work even harder for the development of India.”
9.50 pm: Here is how the electoral map of Chhattisgarh looks after the declaration of results in most seats. The Congress has won in a landslide, replacing 15 years of BJP rule.
9.41 pm: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley says the results of the Assembly elections were not as per BJP’s expectations, ANI reports. However, he claims that there was no anti-incumbency in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, and blames the “fatigue factor” instead.
9.12 pm: Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Working President MK Stalin congratulates the Congress on its wins in three states. On the other hand, the All India Anna Munnetra Kazhagam says the mood of the people for the 2019 polls cannot be judged on the basis of the Assembly poll results. “The situation keeps changing,” Tamil Nadu Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar says. “These are state Assembly polls. Nobody can predict the mood of the people for Parliamentary polls... the heart of the people is like a deep mine.”
9.05 pm: Rahul Gandhi has said that the process of selection of chief ministers in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh will happen “smoothly”, PTI reports. TS Singh Deo, state party President Bhupesh Baghel and Tamradhwaj Sahu are the biggest contenders in Chhattisgarh.
8.51 pm: Congress leader TS Singh Deo says people have high expectations from the party, ANI reported. “Such a huge mandate indicates that people have a lot of expectations from Congress,” he says. “The victory that we have got will bind us with the public. Our party will definitely face challenges and work for the development of the public.”
8.47 pm: As much as 2% of the electorate which voted opted for the None Of The Above option, compared to 0.9% for the Aam Aadmi Party, 0.3% for the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and 0.2% for the Samajwadi Party.
8.34 pm: Governor Anandiben Patel has accepted Raman Singh’s resignation, The Indian Express reports.
8.33 pm: Congress has appointed senior leader Mallikarjun Kharge as its observer for Chhattisgarh, ANI reports.
7.49 pm: Congress President Rahul Gandhi calls the result a victory of Congress workers, small traders and farmers. “This is a big responsibility for Congress party and we will work on this,” he says. “We are going to provide these states a vision. We are going to provide these states a govt that they can be proud of.”
“Five years ago, Modi was given a great opportunity to transform the country,” he says. “But he failed to listen to the farmers, to the youth.”
7.12 pm: Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan calls the election results “The first sign of a new beginning”. “This is the people’s verdict,” he says.
7.03 pm: Actor-turned-politician Rajinikanth tells reporters in Chennai that BJP’s defeats in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan and a close contest with Congress in Madhya Pradesh shows that the saffron party is “losing its influence”, PTI reports. “It [the losses] certainly is a big setback for BJP,” he says.
6.52 pm: “Democracy has won!” tweets Congress. “Thank you India, you have chosen love over hate, peace over violence and truth over lies. This victory is yours.”
6.05 pm: “Modi ki ulti ginti shuru ho gayi [Modi has started counting BJP seats backwards for the 2019 elections],” claims Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
5.58 pm: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh calls the Congress’ wins the “beginning of the end of Modi government”, PTI reports. “The results have clearly shown that the people of India were now fed up of the destructive and anti-development policies of the Narendra Modi Government and want a positive change,” he says. ““The results are a sign of the mood of the nation, which saw in Rahul the youthful change it needed to bring India back on the track of development, which had been the hallmark of the previous UPA regime under former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.”
5.56 pm: Congress leader Kapil Sibal claims that the Congress’ victory in three states is a “victory of humanity”. “This is the victory of Rahul Gandhi, our party, workers, people, and the fight against scams,” he adds.
5.52 pm: “The Modi wave will never recede,” claims Tamil Nadu BJP chief Tamilisai Soundararajan according to The Indian Express. “The result is just a setback, it’s not a defeat. People still want Narendra Modi to continue as prime minister and they don’t prefer Rahul Gandhi, and we have not suffered a huge defeat in any of the states.” She adds that Congress always complains about faulty EVMs when the BJP wins, and asks what the party will say now.
5.48 pm: “This is a victory of democracy,” state Congress President Bhupesh Baghel says. “BJP had a lot of money and a team of corrupt officers, they also had conspirators in their pocket. Despite all of this, the mandate given by the people in Chhattisgarh is historic.”
5.42 pm: Raman Singh says he has tendered his resignation to Governor Anandiben Patel. “We respect the mandate that the public has given,” he adds. “I congratulate Congress on this success. I consider it my luck to serve the public of Chhattisgarh for the last 15 years. I take the responsibility for this defeat because the poll was contested under my leadership. We will act as a strong Opposition and work for the development of the state.”
5.16 pm: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tells the media that the BJP’s loss in three states is a “disaster” for the party, ANI reports. “There are many reasons behind BJP’s defeat,” she says. “Pride of being in power and misuse of democratic institutions are some [of them].”
5.04 pm: CM Raman Singh is leading in Rajnandgaon constituency by 6,763 votes against Karuna Shukla.
4.41 pm: “I congratulate the people of four states for their courage [in voting BJP out],” says Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray. “Without wasting time over the question ‘what is the alternative to BJP’, voters decided to first throw out those they did not want in power, and then bother about the alternative. This is real courage.”
4.35 pm: Congress’s TS Singh Deo is leading in Ambikapur constituency over BJP’s Anurag Singh Deo.
4.25 pm: The Congress is now leading with 59 seats and the BJP with 17 seats.
3.46 pm: Congress leader Tamradhwaj Sahu, who is contesting from Durg Gramin constituency, says the party has defeated bad governance, reports News 18. “We will do what has been promised...it is a victory of the people of Chhattisgarh.
3.42 pm: Congress leader Anand Sharma says it is the “people of India vs Narendra Modi”, reports The Indian Express. “This is just the beginning, the real battle is ahead. Rahul is ready, allies also ready.”
3.35 pm: State Congress President Bhupesh Baghel says the party high command will decide on a chief minister, reports ANI. “People of Chhattisgarh took the fight in their own hands,” says Baghel. “We are grateful to Rahul Gandhi, we fought for the people. We got more seats than expected...”
3.32 pm: A Central Reserve Police Force jawan was injured in an IED blast in Sukma district’s Chintagupha, reports ANI.
3.20 pm: BJP’s Krishna Murti Bandhi is leading in Masturi with a margin of 1,554 votes.
3.13 pm: Incumbent Chief Minister Raman Singh leading over Congress’s Karuna Shukla in Rajnandgaon constituency.
The Election Commission has not announced leads for six seats - Sarangarh, Akaltara, Raigarh, Lailunga, Kharsia and Dharamjaigarh
2.53 pm: The Congress is now leading in 60 seats, while the BSP is ahead in three seats, according to the Election Commission.
2.42 pm: The Bahujan Samaj Party is now leading in two seats. The Congress is leading in 62 seats and the BJP in 13 seats.
2.37 pm: Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill says Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a liability for the BJP, reports News 18. “In Chhattisgarh, his face was not even on posters because he is anti-tribal. BJP has lost in places where PM campaigned
2.34 pm: Janta Congress Chhattisgarh leader Ajit Jogi is leading over the BJP’s candidate in Marwahi with a margin of 23,237 votes. Jogi’s party has tied up with the Bahujan Samaj Party for the state polls.
2.18 pm: Congress supporters begin celebrating in Raipur as the party leads in 61 seats.
2.11 pm: BJP parliamentarian Sanjay Kakade says trends for Madhya Pradesh have come as a surprise, reports ANI. “I knew we would lose in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh...I think we forgot the issue of development that Modi took up in 2014. Ram Mandir, statues [and] name changing became the focus.”
2.06 pm: The Bahujan Samaj Party is leading in one seat - Pamgarh. BSP’s Indu Banjare is leading over Congress’s Gorelal Barman with a margin of 9,399 votes.
2 pm: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut says the outcome of the state elections is a clear message to the BJP and there is a need for the ruling coalition to introspect, reports PTI. Shiv Sena is an ally of the BJP.
1.54 pm: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee says the people voted against the BJP. “This is the people’s verdict and victory of the people of this country,” she says.
Banerjee says the Assembly polls are a “real democratic indication of the 2019 final match”, referring to the Lok Sabha elections next year.
1.40 pm: In Dantewada, BJP’s Bhima Mandavi is leading over Congress candidate Devati Karma with a margin of 206 votes.
1.31 pm: The Congress is leading in 59 seats and the BJP in 17 seats, according to the Election Commission.
1.27 pm: BJP legislator from Uttar Pradesh’s Bairia Surendra Singh blames amendments to the SC/ST Act for the party’s poor show in the Assembly elections, reports PTI. “The BJP cannot register victory in elections by hurting the sentiments of the savarna (upper castes),” says Singh. “The decisions to bring amendments in the SC/ST Act has proved to be suicidal.”
1.21 pm: Congress leader TS Singh Deo, who is the leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, says the party connected with people based on the directions from Congress President Rahul Gandhi, reports NDTV. Deo says the Janta Congress Chhattisgarh-BSP alliance cut into the BJP’s vote share from the Scheduled Tribes communities.
1.11 pm: The vote share of the Congress is 43.8% and that of the BJP is 31.9%.
1.07 pm: In Marwahi, Janta Congress Chhattisgarh chief Ajit Jogi is leading with a margin of 12,539 votes.
12.56 pm: Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma says the results of the Chhattisgarh elections are not good for the party, reports The Indian Express. “Whatever is the people’s verdict, [we] will accept,” he said. “National and state elections are different. No disappointment in the PMO [prime minister’s office].”
12.37 pm: Incumbent Chief Minister Raman Singh of the BJP is leading by 145 votes ahead of the Congress’ Karuna Shukla, who is the niece of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
12.32 pm: The Congress is leading in 56 seats and the BJP in 19 seats. The Janta Congress Chhattisgarh is leading in five seats and the Gondvana Gantantra Party is leading in one seats. Leads for nine seats are still to be announced.
12.27 pm: In Beltara, Rajnish Kumar Singh of the BJP is leading and Rajendra Sahu of the Congress is trailing.
12.14 pm: Five ministers in the state Cabinet - Brijmohan Agrawal (Raipur City South), Kedar Kashyap (Narayanpur), Mahesh Gagda (Bijapur), Dayaldas Baghel (Nawagarh) and Amar Agrawal (Bilaspur) - are trailing, PTI reported.
12.09 pm: In Basna, Devendra Bahadur Singh of Congress is leading. Durgacharan Patel of the BJP is trailing behind Singh.
12.05 pm: In Balodabazar, Pramod Kumar Sharma of the Janta Congress Chhattisgarh is leading, with Janak Kumar Verma of the Congress trailing.
12.03 pm: In Abhanpur, Dhanendra Sahu of Congress is leading, followed by Chandrashekhar Sahu of the BJP.
11.45 am: Janta Congress Chhattisgarh is leading in four seats, while the Communist Party of India and the Gondvana Gantantra Party are leading in one seat each.
11.39 am: Incumbent Chief Minister Raman Singh is leading in Rajnandgaon, while Congress’s Karuna Shukla is trailing.
11.37 am: The Congress is leading in 55 seats and the BJP in 18 seats, according to the Election Commission. The majority mark is 46 seats.
11.18 am: The Congress is leading in 55 seats and the BJP in 25 seats, according to NDTV. News 18 reports that the Congress is leading in 64 seats and the BJP in 18 seats.
11.07 am: In Dantewada, BJP’s Bhima Mandavi is leading, followed by Devti Karma of the Congress.
10.55 am: Deepak Baij of Congress is leading in Chitrakote. Lachuram Kashyap of the BJP is trailing behind Baij.
10.52 am: In Bastar, Lakheshwar Baghel of Congress is leading, followed by Subhau Kashyap of the BJP.
10.46 am: In Durg Rural constituency, Tamradhwaj Sahu of Congress is leading, followed by Jageshwar Sahu of BJP.
10.45 am: Umesh Das Manikpuri of the Bahujan Samaj Party is leading in Raipur South. Kanhaiya Agarwal of the Congress is in second place.
10.43 am: In Akaltara, Richa Jogi of the Bahujan Samaj Party is leading and Congress’s Chunnilal Sahu is trailing behind Jogi.
10.41 am: In Kota, Renu Jogi of the Janta Congress Chhattisgarh is leading. Kashi Sahu of the BJP is trailing behind Jogi.
10.38 am: In Ambikapur, TS Singhdeo of Congress is leading, followed by Anurag Singh Deo of the BJP.
10.32 am: In Marwahi, Ajit Jogi of Janta Congress Chhattisgarh is leading with a margin of 4,757 votes, according to the state election commission. BJP’s Archana Porte and Congress’s Gulaab Singh Raj are second and third
10 am: The Congress has crossed the halfway mark, leading in 55 seats, according to NDTV. The party leads in 58 seats, according to News 18.
9.56 am: Reports said former Chief Minister and Janta Congress Chhattisgarh leader Ajit Jogi is at third position in Marwahi seat. The BJP candidate is leading from the seat.
9.50 am: The Election Commission has not yet released leads for the state on its official website.
9.37 am: The Congress is now leading in 57 seats and the BJP in 22 seats, reports News 18. According to NDTV, the Congress is leading in 48 seats and the BJP in 26 seats. The BSP alliance is leading in four seats.
9.27 am: The Congress is leading in 55 seats and the BJP in 22 seats, according to News 18. NDTV reports that the Congress is leading in 38 seats and the BJP in 26 seats.
9.24 am: Reports said incumbent Chief Minister Raman Singh is trailing from Rajnandgaon. The Congress’s Karuna Shukla is leading from the constituency.
9.19 am: The Congress is now leading in 42 seats and the BJP in 20 seats, according to News 18.
NDTV reports that the Congress is leading in 27 seats and the BJP in 29 seats.
The majority mark in the state is 46 seats.
9.14 am: BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya says his party will form the government in Chhattisgarh, reports ANI.
9.12 am: The Congress is leading in 39 seats, according to News 18. NDTV reports that the party is leading in 19 seats.
9.10 am: The BJP is leading in 27 seats, according to NDTV. The party is leading in 20 seats, reports News 18.
9.04 am: The BJP is leading in 22 seats, the Congress in 18 seats and the BSP alliance in three seats, reports NDTV. According to News 18, the BJP is leading in 20 seats and the Congress in 21 seats. The BSP-led alliance is leading in two seats.
9.01 am: Congress leader Digvijaya Singh says the party has a favourable situation in the state, reports ANI.
8.58 am: The BJP is now leading in 20 seats and the Congress in 16 seats, reports NDTV. The Congress is leading in 13 seats, according to News 18.
8.52 am: The Congress is leading in 12 seats and the BJP in 11 seats, reports NDTV. The BSP alliance is leading in four seats.
News 18 reports that BJP is leading in 15 seats and the Congress in 11 seats.
8.42 am: The BJP and the Congress are now leading in seven seats each. The BSP alliance is leading in three seats and an independent in one seat, reports NDTV.
According to News 18, the BJP is leading in 11 seats and the Congress in six seats.
8.40 am: Chief Minister Raman Singh’s son, Abhishek Singh, says he is confident of the BJP retaining power, reports India Today.
8.38 am: The Congress is leading in five seats, BJP in four seats and the BSP alliance in three, according to NDTV.
8.34 am: The BJP, the Congress and the BSP-led alliance are leading in three seats each, reports NDTV.
8.32 am: Incumbent Chief Minister Raman Singh is contesting from Rajnandgaon seat. Singh is contesting against Congress part’s Karuna Shukla, the niece of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
8.19 am: The BJP and the Congress are leading in two seats in the state, according to NDTV. The majority mark in the state is 46 seats.
8.06 am: Counting of votes for 90 seats begins in Chhattisgarh, reports The Hindu. Postal ballots will be counted first.
7.57 am: Exit polls have predicted a tight race between the BJP and Congress in the state. According to Times Now-CNX, the Congress will win 35 seats and the BJP 46 seats. India TV’s exit poll shows the BJP winning 42-50 seats and the Congress 32-38.
Exit polls also predicted the Bahujan Samaj Party-led alliance is likely to win seven seats. Former Chief Minister and founder of Chhattisgarh Janata Congress Ajit Jogi and the Communist Party of India has allied with Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party in the state.
7.52 am: The BJP and the Congress fought a close race in 2013. The BJP won 49 of 90 seats followed by Congress with 39, Bahujan Samaj Party with one seat, and other independent candidates won the remaining. The BJP’s vote share was only 0.7% points above the Congress.
7.36 am: A three-layer security has been arranged at each counting centre across the 27 districts in the state, reported The Indian Express. At least 5,184 counting personnel and 1,500 micro-observers have been appointed for the counting process.
7.25 am: Chief Minister Raman Singh said last week that he was hopeful of the BJP winning a fourth term in the state. “The BJP will form a full majority government in Chhattisgarh and there was no chance of an alliance with other parties,” he had said, according to Hindustan Times.
7.15 am: Counting of votes for the Chhattisgarh Assembly polls will begin at 8 am.