‘Laadli Behna Ne Kaante Nikal Diye’: Chouhan thanks women as exit polls predict BJP’s victory

Almost all major exit polls for Madhya Pradesh have predicted a comfortable victory for the BJP in the state polls, with the Congress falling short.

Madhya Pradesh Assembly Elections 2023: Chief Minister Shivraj Chouhan thanked the women of the state for their overwhelming support to his government as exit polls forecast a clear victory for the incumbent regime in the State Assembly elections on Thursday.

“Kaante ki takkar’, ‘Kaante ki takkar’…’Laadli behna ne saare kaante nikaal diye (What neck-to-neck fight? The daughters and sisters seem to have put us on the path to victory),” a jubilant Chouhan quipped in Hindi as he thanked women voters of the state for supporting his dispensation.

“Wherever we went, women came out in large numbers to extend a warm welcome and extend their support,” CM Chouhan told news agency PTI after all major pollsters gave a clear lead to the incumbent BJP government in Madhya Pradesh .

He claimed that all other poll watchers will be left out if the BJP returns to the elections with a clear majority.

“I have been saying all along that we have no competition in Madhya Pradesh and we will return with a clear majority. The love and affection that Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi showered on the people of Madhya Pradesh, combined with his able leadership, the strategies of Amit Shah, the leadership of (BJP National President) JP Nadda, the tireless efforts of our workers and plans of our government will give us a deserved victory in the state,” the CM added.

Chouhan said that riding on the support of women, the BJP will return with an unexpected and unprecedented mandate in the state.

Exit polls predict a comfortable victory for the BJP

Almost all major exit polls on Thursday predicted a comfortable victory for the BJP in the state polls, with the Congress falling short and not cashing in on the ‘anti-incumbency’ as they had hoped.

The BJP, which has been in power for 18 years in the last two decades, is all set to continue its juggernaut in the state and start another term with a large majority, exit polls have predicted.

However, one exit poll gave Congress an advantage, while another predicted the two parties were on equal footing.

What do different exit polls say?

According to the forecast by India Today-Axis My India, the BJP will retain power in Madhya Pradesh by securing a vote share of 47 percent and 140-162 seats. It said the Congress is likely to get 60 to 90 seats with a vote share of 41 percent. Others are expected to receive 12 percent of the vote and 0-3 seats.

In the same vein, India’s TV-CNX poll predicted that the BJP is about to get 48 percent of the votes, Congress 38 percent and others 16 percent. The poll predicted 140-159 seats for the BJP, 70-89 seats for the Congress and 0-2 for others.

The Times Now-ETG gave 43.83 percent votes to the BJP, 42.23 percent to the Congress and 13.94 percent to others. It said the ruling party in the state is poised to win 105-117 seats, Congress 109-125 seats and others 1-5 seats.

Republic TV gave a vote share of 43.4 percent to the BJP, 41.7 percent to the Congress and 14.9 percent to others. It gave 118-130 seats to the BJP, 97-107 to the Congress and 0-2 polls to others.

Today’s Chanakya poll predicted that the Congress would get 74-86 seats in Madhya Pradesh with a vote share of 38 per cent, and the BJP would get 151-163 seats with a vote share of 45 per cent. It said others are likely to have a vote share of 17 percent and 5 to 9 seats.

Madhya Pradesh Assembly Elections 2023

Madhya Pradesh went to the polls for its 230 seats on November 17 and counting of votes will take place on December 3.

The BJP fought the elections largely under collective leadership, while the Congress projected former chief minister Kamal Nath as its chief ministerial face.

The last state assembly polls in 2018 saw the Congress come to power with Kamal Nath taking oath as chief minister. Later, Jyotiraditya Scindia, along with 22 MLAs, switched over to the BJP and Chouhan once again took over as the chief minister of the state.

(With ANI inputs)