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

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.