The BJP and the Congress were in a neck-and-neck race for power in Chhattisgarh Sunday as officials counted the millions of votes polled in the state last month.
With early leads available from 78 of the 90 seats, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and a spirited Congress were leading in 38 constituencies each.
A BJP rebel and a Bahujan Samaj Party candidate had forged ahead in one seat each.