by Pankaj Yadav, Jiang Lei
NEW DELHI, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The final results in five states that went to polls in recent weeks have been announced, and the country's main opposition party the Indian National Congress (INC) has fallen short by two lawmakers each in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, in order to achieve the simple-majority mark.
Senior INC leaders, including the party's newly-elected lawmakers, are holding meetings in the three states in a bid to form the new governments. In a day or two, the party is expected to announce the names of its chief ministers, or the heads of state government, in theses three states.
In the central state of Madhya Pradesh, a party, or a coalition of parties, need support of at least 116 lawmakers to form the government since there are a total of 230 assembly constituencies, and in Rajasthan, a party, or a coalition of parties, need support of at least 101 lawmakers as there are 200 assembly constituencies in the western state.
However, according to the Election Commission of India's (ECI) official website, the INC won in only 114 assembly constituencies in Madhya Pradesh thus falling short by two, and only 99 constituencies in Rajasthan which has a total of 200 assembly constituencies, again falling short of two lawmakers.
Elections were held in 199 constituencies in Rajasthan out of the total 200, as in one assembly, it was postponed after one of the contesting candidates had died during the election process. The election in this assembly constituency is to be held anytime soon.
In such a situation, the INC will be in need of support of a couple of more lawmakers in both Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Kumari Mayawati on Wednesday announced her party's support to the INC in government formation in both the states.
The BSP has two newly elected lawmakers in Madhya Pradesh and six in Rajasthan.
"We are ready to give our lawmakers' support in Madhya Pradesh in order to keep the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) out of power. And, in case a need arises, we can extend our support to the INC in Rajasthan as well," she told media persons on Wednesday.
In a related development, Madhya Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel has given an appointment to INC's state president Kamal Nath this afternoon to stake the claim to form the next government. Incumbent Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accepted his party's defeat and told media that he was going to tender his resignation to the state governor. Chauhan remained the state's chief minister for 15 years, there consecutive terms of five years each.
In Rajasthan too, the INC's state president Sachin Pilot will be meeting Governor Kalyan Singh during the day to stake the claim to form the next government.
The INC is comfortably placed to form the next government in the state of Chhattisgarh, where it won in as many 68 constituencies out of the total 90.
