Political parties stake claim to form government in five states

Eastern Mirror Desk
Dimapur, Dec. 12: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) suffered a severe blow on Tuesday, losing three of its ruling states — Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan — to its arch-rival Indian National Congress (INC). The Congress, which is short of a majority in MP by just two seats, has stake claims to form the next government.

In Telangana, the ruling Telangana Rashtriya Samithi (TRS) retained the power with a landslide victory, while the Mizo National Front (MNF) ended Congress’s decade-long rule in Mizoram with a convincing win.

New developments in Madhya Pradesh
The Congress won 114 seats in the 230-member assembly, two seats short of the magic number 116. The party’s chief Kamal Nath has met the Governor of the state Anandiben Patel and staked claim to form the government. The party has said that it has the legislative majority with the backing of four Independent MLAs, two from Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and one from Samajwadi Party (SP).

BJP, which won 165 seats in the last election, managed to win only 109 this time, while BSP won 2, SP 1 and Independents 4.

Who will be the next chief minister?
Kamal Nath, who led the Congress party’s unit in MP in this election, is the front-runner for the chief minister’s post. Jyotiraditya Scindia, 47, has also expressed his desire to become the chief minister of MP but latest reports have claimed that he had actually proposed the name of the 72-year-old Kanpur-born politician for the top post.

New developments in Rajasthan
The Congress has pulled down the BJP government in Rajasthan by winning 99 seats out of the 199 that went to the polls last week. The election in Ramgarh constituency was postponed after BSP candidate Laxman Singh died of cardiac arrest a few days before the polls. Having won the majority in the 200-member assembly, Congress is all set to form the government in the state.
The BJP won 73 seats against 163 in the last election, while Independents won 13,BSP 6, Rashtriya Loktantrik Party 3, Communist Party of India (Marxist) 2, Bhartiya Tribal Party 2, and Rashtriya Lok Dal 1.

Who will be the next chief minister?
The choice for the top post is between two-time chief minister and political veteran Ashok Gehlot (67), and chief of Congress’ unit in Rajasthan and youth icon Sachin Pilot (41). Congress chief Rahul Gandhi is likely to take the final call soon.

New developments in Telangana
The ruling Telangana Rashtriya Samithi (TRS) retained the power in the state with a convincing victory, winning 88 seats out of 119 that went to the polls. The Congress-led People’s Front suffered a crushing defeat.
The Congress managed to win only 19 seats, while TRS’ ally All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen won 7, Telugu Desam Party 2, BJP 1, All India Forward Bloc 1, and Independent 1.

Who will be the next chief minister?
TRS chief K Chandrashekhar Rao, 64, will be sworn in as the Chief Minister of the state for a second consecutive term. Governor ESL Narasimhan will reportedly administer the oath taking ceremony at 1.30 pm on Thursday at the Raj Bhavan in Hyderabad.

New developments in Chhattishgarh
In Chhattisgarh, the Congress ended BJP’s 15-year rule by 68 seats in the 90-member assembly. The party is all set to form the government in the state after having crossed the magic figure of 46.
The BJP won 49 seats in the last election but managed to win only 15 this time, while Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (J) won 5 and BSP 2.

Who will be the next chief minister?
Lok Sabha member Tamradhwaj Sahu (69), Congress party chief in Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel (57), and senior leader TS Singh Deo (66) are front-runners for chief minister’s post. The party is expected to make the final decision on the next chief minister of the state after a meeting.

New developments in Mizoram
After winning 26 seats in the 40-member assembly, the Mizo National Front (MNF) is set to form the government in Mizoram, ending Congress’ one-decade rule.

The Congress won only five seats against 34 in the last elections, while the BJP managed to open an account in the state by winning one seat and eight Independents came out victorious.

Who will be the next chief minister?
Pu Zoramthanga, 84, will be sworn in as the chief minister of Mizoram on Saturday. He had served as the CM of the state twice in the past.