Assembly elections 2018: Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram to vote in crucial political battle

Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram will be going for assembly polls on Wednesday where, in MP, Congress would be looking to bring down the incumbent BJP while in the Mizoram, BJP would be eyeing to uproot the Congress in its last bastion in the Northeast.

The Congress and the Mizoram National Party (MNF) have ruled Mizoram since 1987 when it became a full-fledged state. Interestingly, no party has been able to form government thrice since that year. Elections to the 40-member assembly in Mizoram, which has a population of about 10 lakh, is significant for the BJP that considers the state to be the 'final frontier' in the region.

In the last assembly elections here, Congress had won 34 seats while its main opposition, the Mizo National Front (MNF), got five and the Mizoram People's Conference bagged one seat. The Congress and the MNF have fielded 40 candidates each this year, while the BJP is contesting in 39 seats. The Zoram Peoples Movement (ZPM), an alliance formed by two political parties and four groups, is contesting in 35 seats.

A total of 209 candidates are in fray for the November 28 polls and the fate of the candidates would be decided by 7,70,395 voters, which include 3,94,897 women. 

Electronic voting machines (EVMs) will be used in the polling that would begin at 7 am and end at 4 pm.

Over in Madhya Pradesh, several political analysts have said that the assembly elections here could reflect the mood ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Others mostly agree that it could be the toughest test yet for BJP - a party that has been in power for 15 years here.

BJP has been a force to reckon with in the state since the early years of 2000. Despite controversies and alleged scandals galore, Shivraj Singh Chauhan himself has been a popular face since taking over as CM in 2005. At the ground level though, there are strong indications of anti-incumbency making its presence felt and that is exactly what the Congress is banking upon.

(Also read: Rahul Gandhi's Facebook post before Madhya Pradesh goes to election)

In 2013, BJP won 166 seats in the House in 2013 and elected Chouhan as the Chief Minister. The Congress and BSP bagged 58 and 4 seats respectively. Three Independent MLAs also won the polls. The tenure of 230-member House expires on January 7, 2019. 

Meanwhile, Chief Electoral Officer, Madhya Pradesh, VL Kantha Rao on Monday announced that 65,000 polling booths will be set up for the assembly elections, including 2000 booths that would be entirely women-operated.