BJP cruised to victory in Madhya Pradesh, winning the mandate to be in power for the third consecutive five-year term. Photo: A.M. Faruqui
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 164 seats and was leading in more tha one, zooming past the half-way mark in the 230-member Assembly and ensuring a third term as Chief Minister for Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Photo: A.M. Faruqui
The Congress was a distant second, bagging only 58 seats. File Photo: S. James
Narendra Modi was quick to hail Shivraj Singh Chouhan. “Called Shivraj ji to congratulate him for BJP’s wonderful performance in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly Elections!,” tweeted Mr. Modi. File Photo Rajeev Bhatt
BJP workers celebrated across the sprawling state that has a population of 72 million. They burst fire crackers, beat drums, distributed sweets and waved their party flag, celebrating the poll success. Photo: A.M. Faruqui
In the last Assembly, the BJP had 143 members and the Congress 71. The voting percentage this time was 70 per cent of the total electorate of 46,457,724. File Photo: A.M. Faruqui
Shivraj Singh Chouhan, 53, was first appointed the Chief Minister in 2005. Before that, the BJP’s Uma Bharati became the Chief Minister in 2003 and after she quit, Babulal Gaur became the Chief Minister for a short while. File Photo: A. M. Faruqui
As many as 2,583 candidates battled it out in 230 Assembly constituencies, for which the polling took place on November 25, 2013. File Photo: A.M. Faruqui