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United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi described the party’s good showing in the Hindi heartland states as a victory over the BJP’S “negative politics”. In MP, Nath and Scindia, along with senior leaders Digvijaya Singh, Suresh Pachauri, Vivek Tankha and Arun Yadav, met Governor Anandiben Patel to stake the party’s claim for government formation. When asked whether he would be interested in taking up the post of the chief minister in MP, Scindia told reporters: “Of course, it will be a privilege”. He said he would abide by whatever the party decided.

The Congress emerged as the single largest party in the assembly elections, winning 114 of the total 230 seats. The BJP finished second with 109 seats. “We have staked claim,” Nath told reporters after the meeting the Governor. Asked who would be the CM, he said: “I don’t know.”

While the BSP won two seats in MP, the Samajwadi Party (SP) bagged one seat and four independents also were elected in a closely fought election. The poll campaign was dominated by issues as agrarian distress, unemployment and corruption.

The Congress claimed the support of the BSP, SP and all the four independents who have won in the state. The party submitted a letter to Patel, claiming the support of 121 MLAS.

Seeking to “keep the BJP out of power”, BSP chief Mayawati said her party would support the Congress in Madhya Pradesh and, if required, in Rajasthan, too. “Wefoughtelectionstokeep the BJP out of power... We do not agree with the philosophy of the Congress. But to keep the BJP out of power, we will extend it our support,” Mayawati said in a statement. Her remarks came even as Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar said his party would support the Congress and added that the SP and BSP should do the same ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. In Rajasthan, the Congress staked claim for forming the government in the evening. A party delegation, comprising former chief minister Gehlot, Pilot, general secretaries Avinash Pande and Venugopal, apart from CP Joshi, met governor Kalyan Singh. “We have requested time from the Congress president’s office for Thursday and thereafter will inform the governor’s office and seek time,” Pande told reporters in Jaipur. “We will be apprising Gandhi over today’s report – opinion of the legislators and thereafter the decision on the CLP leader will be taken,” he added. A big crowd gathered outside the Rajasthan Congress office on Sansar Chand Road in Jaipur early on Wednesday. Supporters of both Gehlot and Pilot shouted slogans throughout the day. Pilot’s supporters even flashed a banner, claiming to have written it with their blood, urging the party to name him the chief minister. Both Gehlot and Pilot have said the Congress leadership should take the final decision. In Chhattisgarh, the names doing the rounds for the CM’S post were Bhupesh Baghel, widely credited with reorganising the party after the assassination of its top leaders by Maoist guerrillas in 2013, leader of the Opposition in the state assembly TS Singh Deo, party MP Tamradhwaj Sahu and former Union minister Charan Das Mahant.

The party’s state unit general secretary Shailesh Trivedi said the Congress president sought the opinion of party workers through a mobile app on who should be the next CM. The Congress has won 68 out of the 90 seats in the state assembly elections, dethroning the BJP’S Raman Singh after 15 years.