LIVE | Assembly poll results 2023: BJP now guaranteed of hat-trick in 2024, says PM Modi

So, it's the Big Day.

Counting of votes will begin in minutes for the Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana in what is widely seen as a semi-final contest ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in fewer than six months. The Congress, which is in power in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is ruling Madhya Pradesh, are locked in a straight fight in these three states, while K Chandrashekar Rao-led Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) is hoping for a hat-trick in Telangana.

Starting with postal ballots, counting will commence at 8 am amid tight security for 230 seats in Madhya Pradesh, 90 seats in Chhattisgarh, 119 seats in Telangana and 199 seats in Rajasthan as polling on one seat in the desert state was put off due to the death of a candidate. In Mizoram, counting will be held on Monday.