A look at the 2018 elections in 5 States
From a hung Assembly leading to dramatic defections in Madhya Pradesh to the resounding change in Chhattisgarh, these Assembly elections provided a glimpse into the future poll prospects
Hyderabad: The 2018 Assembly elections in the key Indian States of Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Mizoram, gave a perspective of the electoral prospects for different political parties ahead of the 2019 general elections. From a hung Assembly leading to dramatic defections in Madhya Pradesh to the resounding change in Chhattisgarh, these Assembly elections provided a glimpse into the future poll prospects.
In Telangana, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), now BRS, continued its dominance in the State. By winning an overwhelming 88 seats, an increase from their previous tally of 63 in the 2014 elections, the BRS reaffirmed its hold on the region. The party secured a 47.4 percent vote share. The Congress secured just 19 seats, while the BJP was restricted to a mere one seat. The AIMIM returned home with its seven strongholds.
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However, the political equations witnessed a significant change after two-thirds i.e. 12 of the 19 Congress MLAs decided to join the BRS, effectively merging the Congress Legislative Party into the BRS Legislative Party. Two TDP MLAs also switched to the BRS. The Congress was left with just seven MLAs. This realignment further strengthened the BRS’ position in the State.
Madhya Pradesh had a gripping political drama that was played out over the next two years. The Congress had won 114 seats, just two seats short of the majority in the 230-seat Assembly. The Congress got a vote share of 41.5 percent, while the BJP came second with 109 seats and vote share of 41.6 per cent.
But in 2020, the Congress government lost the majority after resignations from 22 MLAs led by Jyotiraditya Scindia who switched to the BJP, leading to the fall of the Congress government and the reinstatement of Shivraj Singh Chouhan as Chief Minister. Scindia who lost his Lok Sabha election in 2019, was promptly nominated to the Rajya Sabha after successfully orchestrating a split in the Congress.
The Congress party holds the majority in the Rajasthan Assembly, which comprises 200 seats, with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot leading the State government. The previous assembly elections in the State were held in December 2018, when the Indian National Congress emerged as the single-largest party. Congress managed to win 99 seats, falling short by 1 seat to secure the majority mark. With a vote share of 39.8 per cent, Congress, however, formed the State government after an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party and the support of independent MLAs. The BJP managed to secure 73 seats and its vote share was 39.3 percent. The cooperation between Gehlot and another senior leader Sachin Pilot, despite their occasional clashes, played a pivotal role in the Congress’s victory, marking the end of the BJP’s rule in the State.
Congress managed to win 68 seats out of 90 in Chhattisgarh, ending the 15-year rule of the BJP in the State. The party garnered a vote share of 43.9 per cent. BJP won 15 seats and managed to gather a vote share of 33.6 per cent.
In the 40-seat Assembly of Mizoram, the Mizo National Front won 26 seats with a vote share of 37.8 per cent. Congress secured 5 seats and BJP won a single seat. Zoramthanga is the current Chief Minister.
