INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
faced setbacks in the assembly elections in the three heartland states of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh
The Congress won Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, while it fell two seats short of the majority mark in Madhya Pradesh
The Congress swept Rajasthan, bagging a total of 99 seats while a seat won by ally Ajit Singh meant they touched the majority mark of 100
The BJP, who could not buck an anti-incumbency trend in the state, won 73 seats
In Madhya Pradesh, the competition was tighter, with the Congress slightly ahead with 114 seats against BJP's 108 seats
PM Modi tweeted saying "we accept the people's mandate with humility".Madhya Pradesh saw a close fight on Tuesday that swung wildly between
the Congress and the BJP, whose Shivraj Singh Chouhan was eyeing a record fourth term
Both the Congress and the BJP said they had sought appointments with Governor Anandiben Patel to stake their claims to form the government
The Governor will meet both parties today.In Rajasthan, the Congress faces the question of who will become the chief minister
Despite speculation of a tussle over who will take the top post, the party's two top leaders in the state - Sachin Pilot and Ashok Gehlot -
displayed complete harmony and togetherness in their victory celebrations
Congress President Rahul Gandhi is expected to take the final call today, with sources saying Ashok Gehlot has emerged as the front-runner
Congress leaders to meet Madhya Pradesh Governor at 12 pm today."BSP Will Support Congress In Madhya Pradesh": MayawatiIf you see, over the
last many decades, it was the Congress that ruled most of the states in India
But it was not working for the benefit of the people
Hence regional leaders had to come out and create their own parties to reach out to the people.Had the Congress performed well, the BJP
would not have been able to expand its base.We fought these elections to ensure that the BJP does not come back to power
While BSP has performed well, we did not do as well as we had thought.Our aim is to keep the BJP out of power
And that is why we have decided to support the Congress in Madhya Pradesh.The Congress ended with 99 seats, one short of majority, making
the win against the BJP not as emphatic as the party would have wished
That meant less room for compromise in the simmering power struggle.Sources say Ashok Gehlot has emerged front-runner, not least because of
the upcoming national election and the party's slim margin in Rajasthan, which means Sachin Pilot - despite being a favourite of the
leadership and leading the party for five years in the state - has to step aside
The Congress scored its best election results in years on a day it marked a year since Rahul Gandhi's takeover
The party hopes the state election gains will consolidate its chief's role in opposition efforts to form a grand alliance to take on PM Modi
has taught me what not to do Arrogance is fatal for a politician"
Counting is still on in one seat in Chhattisgarh, where the Congress has already wonA senior leader from Mayawati's BSP has assured that the
party would do all it can to stop the BJP from coming to power in any of the three heartland states where assembly elections have been
held."It is clear that people have voted against the BJP
We will do whatever it takes to ensure that BJP can't form a government in any of the states," senior BSP leader Sudhindra Bhadoria told
TheIndianSubcontinent on Tuesday.With the BSP winning two seats in Madhya Pradesh, the party can play a crucial role in deciding who forms
the government in the state
The final results for the Madhya Pradesh elections were announced this morning, after almost 24 hours of counting
Congress ended with 114 seats, while the BJP won 108 seats.
