With 72 percent voter turnout the ruling BJP in Madhya Pradesh hopes it will script a hat-trick in the Assembly polls amid a 'pro-incumbency' wave across the state. Follow this blog for the latest updates this counting day.

7.25 pm: BJP retains Madhya Pradesh, decimates Congress

The late awakening of the Congress to present an united face in Madhya Pradesh did little to help bring back the party back to power which it had lost in 2003 when Digvijaya Singh was the chief minister. The BJP under the stewardship of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan achieved a thumping majority winning 165 seats in the 230-member state Assembly. The Congress won 58 seats, while the Bahujan Samaj Party got 4 and others 3.

5.25 pm: BJP now at 150 seats, leading in 13

The BJP have won 150 seats and are likely to 13 more while the Congress have won 50 and are leading in 10.

The BSP have won four while independents have won two and are leading in one.

4.00 pm: BJP set to form government with clear mandate

The BJP is riding back to power with a massive win. They have crossed the halfway mark of 118 seats and are still leading in 38.

The Congress have won 35 seats and are leading in 32.

3.47 pm: BJP wins 113 seats, three short of magic figure

The BJP is set to win Madhya Pradesh with a clear majority wining 113 seats and leading in 43. The Congress is ahead in 36 and have won in 31.

3.30 pm: BJP win 101, Congress 28

BJP have are now leading in 57 seats and have won 101, while the Congress are leading in 37 after win 28 seats.

The BSP are ahead in 3 after wining 2 seats while independents have won a seat while they are leading in one.

3.00 pm: BJP wins in 80, Congress in 25

The BJP are leading in 76 seats and have won in 80 while the Congress are leading in 41 and have won 25 seats. The BSP, leading in 4, have won a seat.

Independents are leading in 2 and have won a seat.

2.50 pm: Here is a look at how Shivraj Singh Chouhan performed in the elections

2.25 pm: Congress looking at a worse performance than 2008?

Congress have now won 22 seats in Madhya Pradesh and are leading in 42. Their 2008 tally was 71.

For the BJP, they have won 63 seats and are leading in 94. Their 2008 tally was 143 seats.

2.10 pm: BJP wins 55 seats, Congress 20

The BJP have won 55 seats in Madhya Pradesh and are leading in 102, while the Congress have won 20 seats and are leading in 44.

The BSP have won a seat and are leading in 4.

1.55 pm: Thank all my party leaders, this victory is due to our development: Chouhan

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has thanked his party leaders including BJP's PM candidate Narendra Modi for the massive victory in the state.

Attributing the victory to the development carried out by the BJP government in the state, Shivraj Singh said even if it wasn't led by him, the people would still have voted for the BJP.

Chouhan further said it was time for the BJP to come to power in the Centre as well.

1.46 pm: We have our work cut out for us, says Jyotiraditya Scindia

Congress' Madhya Pradesh Chief Jyotiraditya Scindia has accepted defeat and has said that the party needs to focus a lot on its marketing programme.

"Very clear that we have our work cut out for us, our communication programme needs lots of work. Our marketing arm needs a lot to be worked on. No doubt we have a tall task in front of us...

Don't think Modi has had any impact... if at all everyone has had an impact it is Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The air was very still in MP. No pro-Congress or anti/pro BJP wave," he told NDTV.

"It has gone in favour of the BJP, I must accept that and we have work in front of us."

1.38 pm: BJP have won 35 seats, Congress 10

BJP have now won 35 seats and are leading in 119 while the Congress are ahead in 58 and have won 10.

1.23 pm: Congress win 9 seats, BJP 31

The BJP have won 31 seats and are leading in 123, while the Congress have won 9 and are leading in 61. BSP have won a seat and are leading in 3. Independents are ahead in two seats

1.15 pm: BJP wins 28 seats, Congress 9

The BJP has won 28 seats and are now leading in 124 seats while the Congress party is ahead in 61 seats and have won 9. The BSP and independents are ahead in 4 seats each.

1.03 pm: BJP wins in 20 seats, Congress in 6

The BJP have won 20 seats in the state and are leading in 129, while the Congress are leading in 66 and have won 6 seats. The BSP are leading in 5 and independents are ahead in 4 seats.

12.45 pm: BJP wins 13 seats, Congress 4

The BJP has now won thirteen seats in Madhya Pradesh while the Congress party have won 4. In terms of leads, the BJP is ahead in 134 seats while the Congress is ahead in 67. The BSP is leading in 5 and independents are leading in 7 seats.

12.30 pm: Congress wins another seat, now at 3

The Congress is leading in 68 seats with three wins, while the BJP is leading in 140 seats with 7 wins. The latest win for the Congress came from Imrati Devi.

The BSP is leading in 5 seats while independents are ahead in 7.

12.13 pm: BJP wins 6 seats, Congress win 2

The BJP has added another win to its tally with Hemant Vijay winning from Betul. The Congress have won two seats.

11.57 am: Congress wins another seat, now leading in 69 seats

Latest trends show the BJP leading in 143, with 4 wins, and the Congress leading in 69 seats with 2 wins. The BSP is ahead in 5 while independents are ahead in 7.

11.50 am: Shivraj Singh Chouhan wins from Vidisha

Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan has won from Vidisha seat. Ashok Rohani has also won from the Cantt. seat in Madhya Pradesh. The BJP has now won in four seats.

11.45 am: BJP has won another seat, leads in 148

BJP is now leading in 148 seats while the Congress is ahead in 68. The BSP is leading in 5 while independents are leading in 6.

11.15 am: First win for Congress comes in from Batura

The Congress party has won their first seat from Batura. The BJP is now leading in 145, Congress in 73.

10.50 am: First win for the BJP, Ramlal Rotal wins from Anuppur

BJP's Ramlal Rotal has won from Anuppur, the first win in Madhya Pradesh. He was a former MLA in the state. In 2008, Congress' Bisahulal Singh had won from the same seat.

10.43 am: BJP at 140, Congress 76

The leads are now stabilising with the BJP at 140 and Congress at 76. BSP and independents are at 6 each.

In the 2008 elections, the BJP had won 143 while the Congress won 71.

10.37 am: Leads for all seats out, BJP ahead in 144

Leads for 230 seats are out and the BJP is ahead in 144 seats. The Congress is at 74 while the BSP and independents are at 6 each. We are now waiting for wins to come in.

10.30 am: 'Jyotiraditya Scindia was given charge too late'

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has conceded that his party's MP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia was given charge of the state a little too late.

"Scindia helped regain lost ground, maybe if we had let him lead the campaign earlier we would have performed much better," he told NDTV.

10.23 am: Chouhan is leading over Congress' Bhargava

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is leading over Congress rival Shashank Bhargava by 1168 votes in Vidisha. The CM is looking at third term and is contesting from two seats.

10.15 am: BJP is leading in 138 seats, Congress in 74

The leads now seem to be stabilising with the BJP leading in 138 and Congress in 74. BSP is ahead in 6 and independents are leading in 5 seats.

We are waiting for wins to come in and this should happen in the next 15-20 minutes.

We will form Govt,will cross even the required numbers to form the new Govt:Anil Madhav Dave,BJP Spokesperson pic.twitter.com/JzaGyax2tL — ANI (@ANI_news) December 8, 2013

10.08 am: BJP on a hat-trick, now leading in 141 seats

Leads for 218 seats are out and the BJP is leading in 141 seats while the Congress is ahead in 67. BSP and independents are ahead in 5 seats each.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan wave?

10.05 am: Congress refuses to accept defeat, says will wait till last vote is counted

The Congress party in Madhya Pradesh has refused to accept defeat saying there is still time for the final results to come in. "Till the last vote is counted we will wait here infront of TV cameras."

10.00 am: Celebrations begin outside Shivraj Singh Chouhan's house

It's a big win for the BJP and celebrations have begun outside Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's residence. Drums, sweets and fireworks as BJP supporters wave their flag of victory.

9.50 am: BJP sweep in Madhya Pradesh, Cong leading in 69

Congress is now leading in 69 seats of 212 while the BJP is far ahead at 133. BSP and independents are leading at 5 respectively.

9.45 am: Leads in for 202 seats, BJP ahead in 133

Leads for 202 seats are in and the BJP is leading in 133. The Congress is at 60, BSP at 4 and independents are at 5. If these trends are to be believed, the mandate is clearly in favour of incumbent CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

9.30 am: Leads for 192 seats are out and it's a BJP party

The BJP is set to sweep Madhya Pradesh as they now lead in 131 of the 192 seats that are out. The Congress is at 55 while the BSP and independents are at 3 each.

Remember, these are all leads and no wins have come out as yet.

9.25 am: BJP ahead in 126 seats, Congress leading in 54

Leads for 187 seats have come in and the BJP is marching ahead in 126. The Congress is slowly picking up but trends show that they are far from even nearing the 100 mark.

9.15 am: Rahul magic worked in Bilaspur?

The Congress is leading in 12 seats in Bilaspur while the BJP is at 6. BSP in 1

9.12 am: BJP's leads now cross half way mark

The BJP has crossed the magic figure of 115 and now leads in 117 seats. The Congress is ahead in 46 seats, BSP in 3 and independents in 2.

9.08 am: BJP crosses the 100 mark, Cong at 36

The BJP is clearly looking at a massive victory, now leading in 102 seats. The Congess is ahead in 36 while the BSP in 1. Three independents are also leading.

9.05 am: 120 leads in, BJP ahead in 81, Congress in 36

BJP ahead in 81 seats while the Congress is ahead in 36. A BSP candidate is leading in 1 while two independents are also ahead.

9.00 am: First trends in, BJP leading in 74 of 105 seats

The first trends for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections are in and it's the BJP that is ahead. The ruling party is leading in 74 seats while the Congress is ahead in 28.

8.55 am: BJP now leading in 50 seats, Congress ahead in 19

Seventy leads are in and the BJP is leading in 50 of them. The Congress is ahead in 19 and an independent is leading in 1.

In about the next fifteeen minutes we should be able to give you the first trend.

8.50 am: BJP leads in 47 seats, Congress moves to 17

The BJP is clearly in the lead racing ahead with leads in 47 seats while the Congress is at 17.

8.48 am: BJP confident of clear majority, says will form govt

We will form government and we will cross the required numbers to required to form a government, BJP leader Anil Madhav Dave said.

8.45 am: 51 leads in; BJP ahead in 35, Cong stuck at 15

The BJP is fast moving ahead now leading in 35 seats while the Congress seems to be stuck at 15 leads for a long time. An independent is still leading in 1 seat.

8.40 am: 41 leads in, BJP ahead in 25, Congress in 15

The BJP is taking a lead here now moving quickly ahead with 25 leads. The Congress is at 15.

8.35 am: 30 seats in, BJP ahead in 17

26 leads have come in and the BJP is ahead in 17, while the Congress is leading in 12.

8.31 am: 230 seats, 2583 candidates

Just a quick fact: there are 230 seats in Madhya Pradesh and 2,583 candidates are hoping to win.

8.22 am: 19 leads in; BJP ahead in 10, Congress in 8

Nineteen leads are in and the BJP is inching ahead of the Congress by two seats. An independent is leading in one.

8.15 am: 15 leads in, Congress and BJP leading in 7 each

It's neck and neck in Madhya Pradesh with both the parties leading in seven constituencies each. An independent candidate is leading in one.

8.11 am: Jyotiraditya is a good leader, says Uma Bharti

Congress' young Jyotiraditya Scindia came in for praise on Saturday from BJP leader Uma Bharti.

Speaking to NDTV, she said: "I like him... he is a very good leader. He could have given us tough competition,". Bharti, however, was smart enough to make these comments after voting was over.



8.08 am: 11 leads in, Cong leads in 6, BJP in 4

The BJP now leads in 4 while the Congress is leading in 6. An independent is leading in one seat.

8.05 am: First leads in, Congress leading in 3, BJP 1

The first leads have come in and the Congress is leading in three seats while the BJP is leading in 1. Congress' Tilak Singh Lodi and BJP's Anil Jain are among those who are leading.



8.00 am: 51 Counting begins at 51 centres across the state

Counting of votes has begun at 51 centres in the state and the first clear trends are expected a little before 9 am. The BJP is confident of a third term for its CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

7.43 am: Churhat key seat for Congress

The key constituency for the Congress include Churhat in the Vindhya region where leader of the opposition Ajay Singh is contesting against Sarvendu Tiwari of the BJP.

Singh who won the previous election in 2008 by nearly 11,000 votes could be in contention for the leadership of the Congress legislature party again.

7.32 am: Here are this years election statistics

The election statistics this year have set a new record with 72.52 percent voters, including 73.53 percent men and 69.77 percent women, exercising their right to franchise, which is the highest in the state in the last 57 years.

In 2008, the poll percentage rose to 69.78 in the state as BJP retained power with 143 seats and rebellion Uma Bharti cornering 5.1 percent votes.

7.20 am: Counting set to begin, BJP hopeful of a third term

It's is D-day for what many are calling a semi-final to the Lok Sabha elections 2014. With counting of polls set to begin at 8 am this morning, the BJP is hopeful of wining the heart of Madhya Pradesh for a third time. It's a Chouhan versus Scindia fight and we'll get it to you live.

With 72 percent voter turnout the ruling BJP in Madhya Pradesh hopes it will script a hat-trick in the Assembly polls amid a "pro-incumbency" wave across the state.

Led by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the party seems confident that they will come back to power with an even clear mandate due to the development work carried out by their government.

The Congress, however, feel the high voter turn-out is a clear indication of the anti-incumbency factor and are hopeful that the fight this time will be a nail-bitter.

Interestingly, the pre-poll surveys and exit polls also support the pro-incumbency factor, as claimed by the BJP.