Elections 2023: A look at what happened in 5-poll bound states in 2018

The polls would set the groundwork for the last major electoral exercise ahead of the 2024 general elections

The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Monday the voting schedule for five states: Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telangana and Mizoram.

Elections in Chhattisgarh will be held in two phases, on November 7 and November 17.

In Mizoram, the voting will be on November 7, while Madhya Pradesh will vote on November 17. Rajasthan will go to polls on November 25 and Telangana on November 30 in a single phase.

The counting of votes in all five states will be held on December 3. 

The polls would also set the groundwork for the last major electoral exercise ahead of the 2024 general elections.

Current scenario

While the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) is in power in Telangana, Madhya Pradesh is ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Congress governs Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan and the Mizo National Front (MNF) does so in the Northeast state.

Here's a rundown of what happened the last time these states held elections.

Madhya Pradesh

Assembly elections in 2018 resulted in a hung assembly after the Congress won 114 seats, two less than the majority mark in the 230-seat member assembly. The BJP won 109 seats. The Congress formed the government in December 2018, with the support of two Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) MLAs, one Samajwadi Party (SP) and four independent MLAs.

However, on March 21, 2020, as many as 22 incumbent Congress MLAs resigned under the leadership of Jyotiraditya Scindia and joined the BJP, bringing down the Kamal Nath-led Congress government. 

On March 23, Shivraj Singh Chouhan took oath as the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and formed the BJP government.

Rajasthan

The Congress defeated the BJP in the 2018 Assembly election by capturing 100 seats. The BJP got 73 in the 200-seat Assembly.

Following the victory, Congress veteran Ashok Gehlot formed the government with the support of BSP and independent MLAs.

Gehlot's leadership was put to a test in 2020, after his deputy, Sachin Pilot, along with 18 MLAs decamped to neighbouring Haryana, where the BJP is in power. Pilot's move fueled speculation that the saffron party was trying to woo him and topple Gehlot's government. Pilot was sacked both as deputy chief minister and state Congress chief.

The nearly month-long crisis compelled the Congress' high command to intervene.

In 2022, the state again witnessed yet another drama after a majority of the Congress MLAs offered to resign amid speculations of Gehlot being fielded as Congress president.

This time, the incumbent Congress hopes to win the state and break the three-decade-old trend of power being shared alternately by Congress and BJP.

Chhattisgarh

In the 2018 Assembly elections, Congress registered a landslide victory by winning a massive 68 seats in the 90-member assembly.

The BJP, which had ruled the state since 2003, was reduced to 15 seats, while former Chief Minister Ajit Jogi-led Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J) managed to win five seats. Jogi’s ally, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) had won two seats. 

Bhupesh Baghel was named chief minister by the Congress party.

In June this year, the Congress party, in an unexpected move, appointed TS Singh Deo as deputy chief minister of the state, just months ahead of the Assembly elections.

Singh Deo was considered as a rival of Baghel, and the move was seen as an attempt by the party to avert a Rajasthan-like situation in Chhattisgarh.

Telangana

Telangana held early polls in 2018 after Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao dissolved the assembly in September of that year. 
 

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), now known as the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), retained power after winning 88 out of the 119 seats in the Assembly. The Congress got 19, while the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) won 2 seats.

The BRS is now expecting to reclaim power after winning the polls in 2014 and 2018, even as a resurgent Congress is likely to put up a tougher fight.

Mizoram

The Mizo National Front (MNF) formed the government in Mizoram in 2018 after defeating the Congress, which was removed from its last bastion in the northeast.

The MNF won 26 of the 40 seats and secured a majority on its own with a vote share of 37.70 per cent. The Congress, which was in power since 2008, came in third place with only five seats and 30 per cent of the votes cast.

The MNF returned to power in Mizoram after 10 years. MNF leader Zoramthanga was named chief minister.