Update – 10th December, 2018
Election Results tomorrow on December 11
With elections in all of the five states concluding on December 7, the results are all set to be announced on December 11.

All the parties sound confident of their respective victories. However, the exit polls bear surprises for many. In 2 out of the 3 BJP-led states, namely Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, the competition will go down to the last vote between INC and BJP. In Rajasthan, things look good for Congress.

With much at stake for the Centre-governing Bharatiya Janata Party, many say that the Modi “winning streak” might come to an end. The suspense will only break tomorrow.
Update – 8th December, 2018
Exit Poll Results out of All States
A high-voltage voting campaign that lasted for 5 hours in Telangana saw 41.96% voter turnout. The exit polls indicate the continuance of KCR’s reign in the state. In Chhattisgarh, there are chances of Congress and BJP being neck to neck. However, in Rajasthan exit polls Congress has the upper hand over BJP. In Mizoram, Mizo National Front (MNF) has a better chance over Congress.
Update – 6th December, 2018
Campaigning comes to an end in Rajasthan, Telangana; elections tomorrow
Yesterday, December 5 was the last campaigning day for both Rajasthan and Telangana. The two states will now observe polling on December 7, and the results of all the five state assemblies will be out on December 11.Both Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party addressed multiple rallies on Wednesday. Congress party president Rahul Gandhi resonated his confidence that the Congress-alliance will enjoy a comfortable win in Telangana, while PM Modi chanted “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” with the crowd.
Update – 5th December, 2018
KCR gives out a warning for an “Andhra takeover”; Amit Shah in Rajasthan
The jibes exchanged between Telangana’s KCR and Andhra’s Naidu seem to be never-ending. Addressing a public meeting in the state, KCR mentioned how the people of Telangana had struggled to liberate themselves from “Andhra rulers”. He further asked if they wanted to hand the state right back, hinting at Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP). TDP is contesting in the upcoming assembly elections, in alliance with Congress.In Rajasthan, BJP chief Amit Shah is continuing his Rajasthan campaigning. Addressing the state today, he claimed that his party had converted Rajasthan from a “bimaru” state to a developed one.
Update – 4th December, 2018
Rajasthan assembly elections: PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi campaign in the state today
After Telangana, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has begun his election campaigning in Rajasthan now. The PM had planned several state rallies throughout today, including one in Jodhpur. Party chief Amit Shah was in the state on Monday, asking the voters to choose between “patriotic” BJP and Congress which has “no policy or principles”.Notably, Congress president Rahul Gandhi will also be touring the state of Rajasthan today.
Update – 3rd December, 2018
The battleground of Telangana heats up: Both PM Modi and Rahul Gandhi to address rallies today
There are just a few days left before the state of Telangana heads into its second assembly elections since the inception in 2014. Gearing up, Prime Minister Modi will be addressing a rally in Hyderabad today. On the same day, the Congress President will be in Gadwal and Tandur for different rallies.BJP leader and CM of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath has also been in the state addressing the people. Yogi took a strong jibe at the AIMIM leader Owaisi on Sunday, declaring he “will have to flee from Telangana” if BJP comes to power.
Update – 2nd December, 2018
Madhya Pradesh elections: CCTV failed due to power outage, says Election Commission
The Election Commission has stated that closed-circuit television cameras that were installed in an electronic Voting Machine strongroom were not working for more than an hour in the state of Madhya Pradesh. The EC stated that this was due to a power outage. The chief electoral officer of Madhya Pradesh in a tweet stated that all the EVMs were safe, secure and sealed. The failure of the CCTV caused concerns about tampering.
Update – 30th November, 2018
Former cricketer Mohammed Azharuddin made the working president of Congress in Telangana
Barely few days before the state goes to elections, Congress MP and former cricketer Mohammed Azharuddin has been made the working president of party’s state unit. The appointment has been confirmed by Congress’ general secretary, Ashok Gehlot.Andra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP chief, N Chandrababu Naidu clarified on Thursday that he does not intend to get in the race for the Prime Ministerial post. “I am not expecting any position or any incentive”, said Naidu.
Update – 27th November, 2018
Politics in India not limited to BJP, Congress: Says leader from TRS
With Telangana election campaigning catching heat, political leaders have upped their game of hurling direct remarks. While addressing a rally in Nizamabad, Telangana, Prime Minister Modi attacked his rivals- Congress and KCR. He remarked that both dream of winning the elections without doing anything for the citizens. On another occasion, KT Rama, member of KCR-led TRS remarked that politics in the country is not just limited to BJP and Congress.In Rajasthan, CM Raje and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley released the party’s manifesto for the state, paying special attention to girl education.
Update – 26th November, 2018
Rahul Gandhi says that the PM insulted people who built the country
Rahul Gandhi, President of the Congress party, attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an election rally at Pokhran in Rajasthan. Rahul Gandhi attacked the PM for alleging that the nation had made little or no progress at all under the rule of the Congress. The Congress president stated that this was an insult to all the people who had built the country. Rahul Gandhi said that earlier the Prime Minister used to talk about eliminating corruption and creating more jobs for the people, but the moment he became the PM of the country, he forgot all about this.
Update – 25th November, 2018
Rahul Gandhi reprimands CP Joshi for controversial statement
Congress President Rahul Gandhi reprimanded CP Joshi, a senior Congress leader, for commenting that “only Brahmins know enough to talk about Hinduism”. According to media reports, Rahul Gandhi asked Joshi to issue an apology for his controversial comments, who later apologised in a tweet. CP Joshi is a senior Congress leader and is a candidate of the party in the Rajasthan elections, which are to take place in December 2018. A BJP lawmaker had tweeted a video of the former union’s minister commenting at an election rally.
Update – 23rd November, 2018
Chandrababu Naidu along with Rahul Gandhi will campaign in Telangana
N Chandrababu Naidu, the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh and the president of Telugu Desam Party will campaign with Rahul Gandhi, President of the Congress party for the Telangana Assembly elections. As per media reports, Naidu and Rahul Gandhi will take part in the campaign on November 28 and 29. Both the Congress as well as the TDP are contesting the elections in the state as a part of the “grand alliance”. Apart from these two parties, the CPI and the Telangana Jana Samiti are also a part of the “grand alliance”.
Update – 21st November, 2018
Congress places Pilot in Tonk constituency; Mayawati rules out a post-polls alliance with BJP, Congress for Chhattisgarh elections
With the second and final phase of polling today, the state of Chhattisgarh has had a turnout of 64.8% so far. The current Chief Minister Raman Singh also came and cast his vote earlier in the day, from Kawardha. The total voting population in the area is estimated to be around 1.54 lakh, with 19,296 polling booths arranged for the day. The assembly constituency of Raipur City South had the highest number of contestants- 46.In Telangana, the office of Chief Electoral Officer has revealed that over 3584 nominations have been filed in the state, as on November 19. The TRS and BJP are both going in the elections alone, while Congress has formed its own “grand alliance”.
Update – 16th November, 2018
PM Modi addresses a rally in Chhattisgarh; Rahul Gandhi in Madhya Pradesh
The election battle has started gathering up heat now, with all the political parties swinging into action. On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed people in a Chhattisgarh rally, ahead of the phase two polling. “Let some good leader of Congress outside of the family become the party president for five years, then I will say that Nehru ji really created a truly democratic system there”, said Modi, taking a jibe at Congress.While Modi campaigned in Chhattisgarh, Congress President Rahul Gandhi addressed his first election campaign rally at Deori, Madhya Pradesh. Declaring demonetisation independent India’s biggest “scam”, Gandhi said it would be proved that Modi had “robbed the poor of their hard-earned money and given it away to a few rich”.
Update – 15th November, 2018
BJP expels 53 rebel leaders
The BJP has expelled 53 rebel leaders. According to media reports, they were expelled on grounds of refusing to withdraw their nomination ahead of the deadline of 3 pm on Wednesday. The BJP had tried to win them over but were eventually expelled when they refused. The rebel leaders thrown out of the party include former ministers Ramkrishna Kusmaria and K L Agrawal, three former MLAs and a former mayor. Earlier, the Congress too had expelled former MLA Xavier Meda.
Update – 14th November, 2018
Both Ashok Gehlot, Sachin Pilot to contest elections in Rajasthan; Congress releases the second list in Telangana
With rumours sparking off from every direction, Congress has put the speculations to rest with the latest announcement. Both Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot will be contesting in the assembly elections, scheduled for December 7. Earlier, Pilot had hinted at the possibility of him not contesting. In Telangana, the Congress party has rolled out its second list of candidates, containing 10 names. Prominent names like former MP Ramesh Rathod have made it to the list.
Update – 13th November, 2018
Chhattisgarh phase one polling concludes with over 70% turnout
The first chapter of assembly elections 2018 concluded on Monday evening, as the phase one pollings in Chhattisgarh. Despite the 18 constituencies being Naxal-affected, about 70% of people from the electorate turned up to cast their votes. Meanwhile, Congress party alleged that BJP had rigged EVM machines in the Bastar region, with the Election Commission rejecting the claim.In Rajasthan, BJP has released its first list, including 131 candidates. Of these, 85 MLAs have been retained from the previous elections.
Update – 11th November, 2018
Chhattisgarh Elections: First phase of polling to be held on November 12
Chhattisgarh will go to the polls on November 12. Elections to the state assembly will be held in two phases. The first phase will be held on November 12, while the second phase will be held on November 20. In the first phase elections will be held in 12 districts that are affected by the Maoist violence, while the remaining 78 districts will go to the polls on November 20. The counting of votes will take on December 11, 2018. The teams of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party will come to an end on January 2, 2019. Media reports quoted a senior police official as saying that more than one lakh security personnel have been deployed in the state to ensure that the elections are conducted smoothly.
Update – 6th November, 2018
Karnataka by-election: Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition emerges victorious
The Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition, which is ruling Karnataka, swept the by-elections in the state. In the by-elections, which were held on Saturday, the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition bagged four out of five seats. The Janata Dal (Secular) emerged victorious in the Ramanagara Assembly seat and Mandya parliamentary seat, while the Congress won the Jamkhandi Assembly seat and Ballari Lok Sabha seat. The BJP won from the Shivamogga Lok Sabha seat.
Update – 5th November, 2018
Hiphei resigns from Congress, joins BJP
Hiphei, whose name was not featured in the list of the upcoming Mizoram assembly elections, has resigned from his post. He has joined the BJP, which is a major setback for the Congress. Hiphei is a prominent leader of the state. In the 2013 polls, he was elected from the Palak constituency. He served as a member of the Rajya Sabha for two terms. He submitted his resignation to Deputy Speaker R Lalrinawma.
Update – 2nd November, 2018
Congress releases manifesto in Mizoram; Pilot, Gehlot and others may not contest upcoming polls
Congress party released its manifesto for Mizoram on Thursday. Special attention has been given to issues related to education, along with promises to farmers. It also talks about encouraging community participation in the conservation of natural resources- both flora and fauna.Opinion polls in Rajasthan suggest that Sachin Pilot is people’s first choice for CM, over Raje. However, there is a chance that Pilot, along with other prominent leaders like Gehlot etc might not be contesting the assembly polls. The reason cited is so that the leaders can concentrate better on the assembly polls.”Our President Rahul Gandhi will decide this, but yes, it is being discussed whether we should not contest”, said Sachin Pilot.
Update – 1st November, 2018
Kota village to boycott Rajasthan assembly elections; polling booth set up for the first time in a Dantewada village
With campaigning in full swing, the Congress party on Wednesday announced that it will “try to give ticket” to one woman in every Rajasthan district. The statement came after the party President, Rahul Gandhi earlier declared that Congress will give 40% representation to women in polls. Meanwhile, villagers from Kota (Rajasthan) have announced a boycott of the assembly elections, complaining about “lack of development and amenities”.In Chhattisgarh, where the first phase of polling will be conducted on November 12, a polling booth has been set up in Katekalyan’s Telam village. The village is in Naxal affected Dantewada district, and is having a voting booth for the first time since independence. “It’s challenging but we’re ready. Villagers are connecting with us”, said the police station-in-charge. In other news, Amit Jogi, the son of Anit Jogi will not be contesting (Chhattisgarh) assembly polls, putting a rest to the speculations.
Update – 31st October, 2018
Rajasthan assembly elections: Congress to release manifesto mid-November; campaigning in full swing in Mizoram
Ahead of the assembly elections, Congress will be releasing its public manifesto in mid-november, a senior leader from the party revealed. Meanwhile, party President Rahul Gandhi talked about their strategy for the upcoming elections. Gandhi, who was in Madhya Pradesh for a two-day campaign, clarified that not announcing CM candidates for Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh is a part of the party’s strategy.In Mizoram, polling notification hasn’t been issued so far. However, campaigning in the state has begun in full-swing already. The only north-eastern state in Congress’s hold, Mizoram has started witnessing all the major parties, chiefly Congress and MNF campaigning with full efforts.
Update – 30th October, 2018
Tensions mount ahead of Chhattisgarh elections; a new party emerges in Rajasthan’s election battleground
Barely days ahead of assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, 2 policemen and a Doordarshan cameraman were killed in a Maoist attack. The cameraman had been there for election coverage. This was the fourth attack in a span of three days in the state’s Red corridor.In Rajasthan, former BJP leader Hanuman Beniwal launched his new party Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) ahead of the assembly elections. He has claimed that forming an alliance with other “like-minded” parties, RLP will come out as an alternative to BJP and Congress in the state.
Update – 29th October, 2018
Rajasthan elections: Vasundhara Raje to contest from home-turf Jhalrapatan
The Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Vasundhara Raje announced on Sunday that she will be standing from Jhalrapatan constituency in Jhalawar district in the upcoming assembly elections. Raje has won from the seat thrice consecutively- in 2003, 2008 and 2013.In Chhattisgarh, where phase one of polling will be conducted on November 12, Congress has announced its candidates for 17 seats. Reports suggest that the party will contest from 90 seats in Telangana, leaving the rest for its alliance partners, namely- TDP, TJS and CPI (M).
Update – 28th October, 2018
Drones deployed in Chhattisgarh for assembly polls
In Bastar, a naxal-hit area of Chhattisgarh, 50 drones are deployed with 1,000 satellite trackers for the assembly polls.Congress Party has released a list of 37 candidates for second phase polls here. The second phase of polling for the remaining seats 72 will be held on November 20In Rajasthan, all the polling booths are going to have Braille enabled EVMs during the current assembly elections.
Update – 27th October, 2018
Two top TRS leaders joined Congress ahead of Telangana Assembly election
In Telangana, two top TRS leaders joined Congress ahead of Telangana Assembly election. T Narasa Reddy and S Ramulu Naik joined congress party in the presence of party president Rahul Gandhi in New DelhiIn Madhya Pradesh, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has issued second list of 29 seats of poll on November 28th. The party has announced 51 seats for 230 member Madhya Pradesh Assembly .In Chhattisgarh, 192 candidates are left in the fray, after the withdrawal of nomination papers for the first phase of elections. In the first phase more than 31 lakh voters including 16 lakh females are expected to exercise their franchise.
Update – 26th October, 2018
Election Commission issues notification for Chhattisgarh second phase polling
Notification for the second phase of polling in Chhattisgarh has been issued by the Election commission today. This phase will include 72 out of the 90 assembly constituencies in Chhattisgarh. Further, in a latest statement, Mizo National Front (MNF), one of the major parties in Mizoram has ruled out an alliance with BJP for the upcoming elections. The state assembly is scheduled to have its polling on November 28th.In other news, Times Now-CNX survey has predicted 50 seats for BJP in the Chhattisgarh polls.
Update – 25th October, 2018
List of Candidates to be announced in Madhya Pradesh
The Congress party and BJP are expected to release their first list on October 30th and 31st respectively in Madhya Pradesh. The state is going to the polls on 28th November 2018.In Madhya Pradesh, Congress is holding pre-poll tie-up with Jai Adivasi Yuva Shakti, a party led by an AIIMS Doctor Dr. Hiralal Alawa.

Meanwhile, for the 2018 Mizoram Assembly elections, Congress has announced candidates for all the 40 constituencies. Mizoram is going to the polls on 25th November 2018.
Update – 24th October, 2018
Karnataka bypolls to steer the upcoming state assembly elections?
The Chief Minister of Karnataka, HD Kumaraswamy on October 23rd, stated how crucial the forthcoming polls in the state will be.“The state elections and next year’s Lok Sabha polls will be held in the backdrop of the bypolls”, he was quoted as saying during a press conference. Notably, the elections are for 3 Lok Sabha, and 2 state assembly constituencies. A few days ago, the Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) had announced an alliance, campaigning together. It will be the first chance for the coalition to prove its worth, as well as, for the individual parties. The elections will be held on November 3, with results being declared on November 6.

Meanwhile, Telangana has started gearing up for the upcoming assembly elections, making special provisions for people with disabilities who will be casting their votes. Braille electoral photo identity cards (EPIC), free transportation, wheelchairs etc will be provided on the election day. Trainings for the volunteers to assist people with disabilities have already begun.
Update – 23rd October, 2018
Filing nominations for the 1st Phase of Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections
Today is the last date of filing nominations for the first phase of Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections, scheduled for later this year. BJP leader, and the current Chief Minister, Raman Singh will file his nomination today from Rajnandgaon.

Standing against Raman Singh, is Congress candidate Karuna Shukla, the niece of late former PM, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. She had quit BJP a few years ago, and joined Congress. Other important candidates named by the Congress are: Bhuneshwar Singh Baghel (Dongargarh- SC seat), Girwar Janghel (Khairagarh seat), Indra Shah Mandavi (Mohla-Manpur ST seat).
Update – 21st October, 2018
Chhattisgarh Elections
Chhattisgarh, the state that will kickstart the 2018 assembly elections on November 12th (Phase I), is bustling with anticipation. The political parties are having a final go at the preparations. On October 15th, Sunday, the Communist Party of India (Marxist)- CPI(M) declared its alliance with Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J) for the state elections. The latter is currently under the leadership of Ajit Jogi.

On the other hand, Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is all set to begin its campaigning in the state- so far running a “solo-show” with no allegiance. The Delhi CM, Arvind Kejriwal will personally be involved in the Chhattisgarh campaign.