Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls: Seats that Congress, BJP overturned last election

As elections to 230 seats of Madhya Pradesh Assembly draws closer, we take a look at segments which registered overturned victories in 2018.

The 2018 Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections were marked by a series of unpredictable events - the drama around which went on till 2019 when 22 sitting Congress MLAs resigned, dissolving Kamal Nath-led government, which came to power after 15 years of long stint as Opposition.

Here, we will take a closer look at segments that overturned in the last Assembly elections.

In the 2018 elections, Congress emerged as the single-largest party with 114 seats, followed by BJP with 109 seats. INC was supported by one MLA from Samajwadi Party, two from BSP, and four more Independents to form government with Kamal Nath as the new chief minister.

Of the 114 Assembly seats that Congress won in 2018, 80 were bagged by BJP in 2013. This huge swing towards Congress was most visible in Sheopur, Sewda, Bhander, Jabalpur East, Shajapur, Maheshwar, Sardarpur, Manawar, and Badnawar, where the margin of victory remained well above 20 per cent mark.

Gwalior South, Chhatarpur, Damoh, Gunnour, Jabalpur North, Biaora, Mandhata, Jobat, Petlawad, Sanwer, and  Tarana, on the other hand, were such constituencies where even though Congress had won in 2018, remained in a neck-and-neck fight with BJP. In all these constituencies, the winning margin remained below 3 per cent.

Of the 109 seats that BJP won in 2018, 25 were those that had previously, in 2013, locked their fate with Congress. Of these 25 seats, Jatara, Sironj, Chitrangi, and Barwani went on to register big wins for BJP, with margin of victory exceeding 20 per cent mark. 

Even though Vijaypur, Kolaras, Jabera, Nagod, Maihar, and Amarpatan Assembly seats delivered victory to BJP in 2018 - shifting from Congress in 2013 polls, the margin of victory remained very small, with none exceeding 3 per cent mark. 

Bahujan Samaj Party could not save Dimani and Ambah, which were swept by Congress in 2018, while Raigaon and Mangawan slid towards BJP.

Not all was lost for BSP though - Bhind and Pathariya - two seats won by BJP in 2013, witnessed gains for BSP, leading the latter to claim victory by a relaxed margin of 24.4 per cent in Bhind and a close margin of 1.3 per cent in Pathariya.

Bajwar remained the sole segment where winds changed in favour of Samajwadi Party. This seat was claimed by BJP in 2013, but SP candidate Bablu Bhaiya swept the seat in 2018, with a margin of 25.5 per cent.

Independent candidates claimed victory in Waraseoni, Susner, and Burhanpur in 2018 - a shift from BJP.

In Bhagwanpur, Congress was expelled by an Independent candidate in 2018. On the flip side, Thandla, Sehore, and Seoni, were three seats that ditched Independents whom they had chosen in 2013, in order to pave way for the two dominant parties.

Seoni and Sehore went to BJP, while Thandla was claimed by Congress.

The elections to the 230 seats are scheduled for November 17.