Nine crucial state elections in 2023 to set tone for 2024 Lok Sabha polls

India

oi-Deepika S

As
many
as
nine
states
are
expected
to
vote
in
2023,
with
the
stakes
very
high
for
the
ruling
BJP
and
the
principal
Opposition
Congress.

New
Delhi,
Dec
31:
The
year
2023
is
going
to
be
politically
crucial
as
nine
states
and
a
union
territory
are
going
to
the
polls,
starting
March.
These
assembly
elections
are
considered
as
the
semifinal
ahead
mega
battle
of
2024.

Polls
are
scheduled
in
Rajasthan,
Madhya
Pradesh,
Karnataka,
Chhattisgarh,
Telangana,
Tripura,
Meghalaya,
Nagaland
and
Mizoram.
If
all
goes
well,
the
government
may
also
hold
assembly
elections
in
Jammu
and
Kashmir
next
year.

The
BJP
looks
to
wrest
two
states
Rajasthan
and
Chhattisgarh,
where
Congress
is
in
power.

Rajasthan

In
2018
Rajasthan
elections,
Congress
wrested
power
from
the
BJP
by
winning
100
seats.
The
BJP
could
manage
to
get
only
73
seats.
The
state
will
again
see
a
direct
fight
between
the
BJP
and
Congress
in
2023.
Since
1990,
the
power
in
Rajasthan
has
been
swinging
between
BJP
and
Congress.

However,
the
internal
rift
between
Chief
Minister
Ashok
Gehlot
and
his
former
deputy
Sachin
Pilot
may
prove
costly
to
the
Congress.

Chhattisgarh

In
Chhattisgarh,
Congress
won
a
thumping
majority
by
winning
68
seats
in
the
90-member
assembly
uprooting
the
15-year
rule
of
the
BJP
in
the
last
election.
The
BJP
got
only
15
seats.

Madhya
Pradesh

In
2018
elections
in
Madhya
Pradesh,
Kamal
Nath
became
the
chief
minister
ousting
the
15-year
rule
of
the
BJP.
However,
Shivraj
Singh
Chouhan
returned
to
power
after
two
years
when
22
sitting
Congress
MLAs
along
with
party
heavyweight
Jyotiraditya
Scindia
resigned
from
Congress
to
join
the
BJP.

Karnataka

The
BJP,
which
aims
to
come
back
to
power
by
breaking
nearly
four-decade
jinx
of
no
party
in
government
retaining
power
in
the
state
(since
1985),
has
set
a
target
of
winning
minimum
150
of
the
total
224
seats
in
the
Assembly.

Telangana

In
Telangana,
K
Chandrasekhar
Rao-led
Telangana
Rashtra
Samithi
(TRS)
has
been
in
power,
since
its
formation.
Now,
BJP
is
trying
hard
to
make
inroads
in
Telangana.

Tripura

BJP
swept
Tripura
elections
2018
by
winning
35
seats
in
the
60-member
Assembly.
However,
the
party
replaced
Biplab
Deb
with
Manik
Saha
as
the
chief
minister
earlier
this
year
as
part
of
a
strategy
ahead
of
the
polls.

Meghalaya

In
Meghalaya,
Congress
emerged
as
the
single
largest
party
but
failed
to
secure
the
majority
form
a
government.
BJP
which
won
only
two
seats
formed
an
alliance
with
the
National
People’s
Party
(NPP)
to
form
the
government.

The
2023
polls
will
be
interesting
this
time
since
NPP
leader
and
Chief
Minister
Conrad
Sangma
announced
that
his
party
would
contest
the
2023
polls
alone.

Nagaland

In
Nagaland,
BJP
joined
hands
with
the
Nationalist
Democratic
Progressive
Party
(NDPP)
before
the
2018
elections
and
formed
the
government.

Mizoram

In
Mizoram,
Mizo
National
Front
is
in
power
led
by
Chief
Minister
Zoramthanga.
MNF
won
26
out
of
40
seats
in
the
2018
assembly
elections.
Congress
managed
to
get
only
five.