Within three hours of counting votes for assembly polls in four states, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), India's ruling party at the centre, was leading comfortably in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh.
Meanwhile, the Congress is ahead in Telangana, which is its sole consolation in this round of state polls, NDTV reported.
As per the exit polls, the BJP is predicted to retain Madhya Pradesh and reclaim Rajasthan in the Election Results 2023. On the other hand, the Congress is projected to get a second straight term in Chhattisgarh and win Telangana.
The Congress in Telangana is optimistic about the continuation of current trends, as they are ahead of the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) since 2014. In Chhattisgarh, which initially favoured the Congress, the competition has become fierce and the party has now turned to advantage BJP
Individual performance has also revealed a few surprises from the patterns thus far.
Chief Minister and BRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao is trailing in his stronghold Kamareddy. Also trailing was Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel in Patan, but he has now taken the lead.
Furthermore, the Madhya Pradesh election results will greatly disappoint Congress, which had given former chief minister Kamal Nath a free hand to win. Nath, speaking to the media, expressed confidence in a Congress win, stating that he had not seen trends and did not want to follow them.
Despite the Congress's best efforts to present a united front, the divisions within the party between the factions led by Rajasthan's Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot may have hurt the party's prospects in some seats in Rajasthan.
Moreover, the Telangana outcome has demonstrated once more how the Congress benefits from presenting local leaders, according to NDTV.
The Congress leadership seems to have learned from its Karnataka success by fully supporting state party chairman Revanth Reddy.
The four Assembly polls are being considered a semi-final to the Lok Sabha elections, coming months before the big fight.