Assembly Election Results 2023: The stage is set for a blockbuster semi-final before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and the fate of the Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) is hanging in balance after exit polls threw up a few twists. While exit polls often get it wrong, they do give an idea to political parties about where they stand.

Can Congress’ dream of a clean sweep be fulfilled or the Modi factor will once again come to the BJP’s rescue and will BRS manage to save its bastion? All these questions will be answered on Sunday, December 3 when Election Commission announces official results of the assembly elections in four states – Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana. The announcement of results for Mizoram has been deferred to December 4.

What the exit polls have predicted?

Most exit polls have predicted a 2-2 tie between the Congress and the BJP. This is a major set back to the Congress, which was hoping to sweep at least four of the five states where elections were held last month.

Barring two, all the exit polls have predicted a return of the BJP in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Congress has also been given two states – Chhattisgarh and most surprisingly Telangana.

The exit polls were surprising to many as the BJP was on the back foot in all four states untill Prime Minister Modi took over the campaign and BJP parachuted it’s top leaders and RSS mobilised it’s cadres.

Congress was hoping a massive win in MP but exit polls have predicted just the opposite – a landslide victory for the BJP. In Rajasthan too, there were talks that Ashok Gehlot could break the state’s tradition of voting out the incumbent government. However, in both states, BJP has been given clear majority, at least in early predictions.

Chhattisgarh, a state where Congress is said to be in the most dominant position, is also set to give the grand-old-party a run for its money. While exit polls have given Congress an edge over the BJP, they have not completely ruled out the saffron party. At least two post-poll surveys have given the BJP an upper margin of 46 seats.

Off all the five states, early predictions for Telangana appears to be the most surprising as they predicted an easy Congress win. The grand-old-party was practically no where on the ground untill six months ago and was distant third after BRS and BJP in Hyderabad municipal elections three years ago.

But in the last six months, specially after Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, the Congress has covered the entire south Indian state with under Revanth Reddy’s leadership.

BJP won’t mind a 2-2 finish in the semi-final but if Congress manages a clean sweep tomorrow, it could be a big momentum shifting moment in Indian politics before the 2024 general elections.

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