MP leads: Cong: 28,  BJP: 30, BSP: 1

As many as 2,907 candidates were in the fray for the November 28 assembly polls as Chief Minister Shivraj Chouhan of BJP is attempting a fourth term in office, while challenger Congress expects to return to power after a 15-year gap.


Exit polls predicted a close race between the BJP and the Congress, though leaders from both parties have routinely claimed their respective victories.


While Chouhan has called himself the "biggest surveyor" in claiming a win for the BJP, senior Congress leader Kamal Nath said his party would get at least 140 seats to oust the saffron party and form a majority government.


The state polls saw a voter turnout of about 75 per cent. Madhya Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer V L Kantha Rao told reporters that counting began with the postal ballots at 51 centres across the state.