State elections results: Counting to begin amid high-security arrangements

Most exit polls predicted a Congress resurgence in northern India, while TRS is likely to retain power in Telangana.

The results of the Assembly elections 2018 in five States — Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram — will be out on Tuesday.

After the polling ended for the Telangana and Rajasthan Assemblies on Friday evening, most exit polls predicted a Congress resurgence in northern India.

All exit polls said Rajasthan was unlikely to break its 25-year-old habit of throwing out the incumbent government, with the Congress slated to win the state. Several exit polls predicted the Bharatiya Janata Party's 15-year-rule in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh could also end.

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However, most exit polls indicated the Bahujan Samaj Party-Ajit Jogi alliance in Chhattisgarh might have hurt the Congress, with the BJP poised to win a fourth successive win there.

A majority of the exit polls also predicted the incumbent Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) could retain the state and the electorate could boot out the 10-year-old Congress government in Mizoram.

Chhattisgarh

Counting of votes will be held on Tuesday for the Chhattisgarh Assembly polls, being viewed as a prestige battle for three-term Chief Minister Raman Singh of the BJP and the opposition Congress' fight for a resurgence.

Madhya Pradesh

Post-election surveys have predicted an interesting contest in Madhya Pradesh, where the BJP is trying for a consecutive fourth term. An Election Commission official said on Monday the counting would begin at 8 am and postal ballots will be taken up first followed by electronic voting machines at 8:30 am.

Rajasthan

Ahead of the counting of votes on December 11, arch-rivals BJP and the Congress have both claimed they are forming the government in Rajasthan, a state that has seen the two national parties alternate power over the last 20 years. While the BJP claimed it would get a majority in the state, irrespective of what the exit polls predicted, the Congress said it will go past the numbers the poll of polls projected for it.

Business Standard