Assembly polls: What to remember about the 5 states before counting day

The last couple of months have been buzzing with campaigning, speeches and voting in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan, Mizoram and Chhattisgarh. Most parties contesting the assembly polls have viewed this as a semifinal of sorts before the Lok Sabha elections next year. As counting day is merely hours away, here are some important factors to keep in mind:

Chhattisgarh

Counting of votes for the Chhattisgarh Assembly polls is being viewed as a prestige battle for three-term Chief Minister Raman Singh and the opposition Congress's fight for resurgence.

While the BJP is seeking a fourth straight term in office, the Congress is aiming to stage a comeback after being out of power for 15 years. Tight security arrangements have been made at the counting centres in all 27 districts, particularly the Naxalite-affected ones, where voting was held in two phases on November 12 and 20 to elect a new 90-member Assembly.

The state had recorded 76.60 per cent voter turnout in the polls. As many as 5,184 counting personnel and 1,500 micro-observers have been appointed for smooth conduct of the process. Of the 90 Assembly segments, 51 are for general category while 10 segments are reserved for scheduled castes and 29 for scheduled tribes.

Mizoram

In Mizoram, over 73 per cent of the 7.68 lakh voters exercised their franchise. While the ruling Congress, led by the incumbent chief minister Lal Thanhawla, is aiming for a third consecutive term, it is likely to receive a stiff challenge from the main opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) headed by Zoramthanga. Both MNF and Congress have fielded candidates in all the 40 assembly constituencies. The BJP has fielded candidates in 39 seats. 

Rajasthan

With 4.74 crore registered voters casting their votes in Rajasthan, the overall poll percentage in Rajasthan was 72.62 per cent. Rajasthan witnessed over one per cent lower voter turnout in Friday's assembly poll as compared with the previous assembly election despite marathon election rallies by star campaigners of both the BJP and the Congress.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi had addressed 12 and 9 public meetings, respectively, in Rajasthan where assembly elections to 199 of the 200 seats were held on December 7. Despite this, the number of people coming out to vote did not increase much.

Madhya Pradesh

Post-election surveys have predicted an interesting contest in Madhya Pradesh, where the BJP is trying for a consecutive fourth term. The BJP has fielded candidates on all seats and the Congress on 229; it left one seat for Sharad Yadav's Loktantrik Janata Dal. The BSP put up 227 candidates while the SP 51. The Aam Aadmi Party, contesting the state election for the first time, fielded candidates on 208 seats.

Also testing their electoral fortunes are 1,094 Independent candidates. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, in office since 2005, is seeking re-election from Budhni seat in Sehore district and is pitted against Congress candidate Arun Yadav, a former minister. Of the 5.04-crore registered voters, 3.78 crore (75.05 per cent) exercised their franchise.

Telangana

As voter turnout reached 73.2 per cent on the final count in Telangana, many analysts interpreted it as an anti-incumbency wave. But in urban areas, especially Hyderabad, the voter turnout this year too, fell to a dismal figure of 48.89 per cent compared with 53 per cent in 2014. The rural constituencies saw a higher voter turnout, some even touching more than 90 per cent. Counting centres have been set up at 43 locations most of which are at district headquarters. The EVMs are kept under three-tier security.