BHOPAL: The Congress will shortly stake claim to form the next government in Madhya Pradesh after emerging the largest party in a see-saw battle with the BJP, which lost power after putting up a strong fight. The Congress is two short of the majority mark of 116 in the 230-seat Madhya Pradesh assembly but has closed the gap with help from Mayawati, who announced her support this morning.
The Congress's top trio of Kamal Nath, Jyotiraditya Scindia, and Digvijaya Singh met Governor Anandiben Patel around noon.
The party's next challenge is likely to be an anticipated leadership tussle. Later today, all lawmakers will meet to pick the chief ministerial candidate but sources say the party favors Kamal Nath for now.
After a sleepless night, the Congress finished with 114 seats, stopping just short of a majority but ending the ruling BJP's dream run in one of India's most important bellwether states.
Outgoing Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said he would resign and the BJP would not stake claim to form the government. With 109 seats, the party had last night indicated it may also meet the Governor for a shot at power. "We did not win a majority so will not stake a claim," Mr. Chouhan, who ruled the state for three straight terms, said.
Mayawati's support was the game-changer for the Congress after its struggle to reach the target despite its top leader Kamal Nath told reporters at 2.45 am that his party was winning an absolute majority.
Kamal Nath had earlier in the day reached out to Mayawati, who had snubbed the Congress during alliance talks before the polls.
The BSP has won two seats and the Samajwadi Party of Akhilesh Yadav one. He has also announced support for the Congress.
The BJP, which ruled Madhya Pradesh for 15 years, trumped the Congress in vote share by a slender margin. The party received 41 percent of the total votes polled, while the Congress got 40.9 percent.
The BJP fared badly in Mandsaur, the epicenter of farmer protests last year, from where Congress president Rahul Gandhi launched his election campaign.
