Counting of votes for five states on Monday

The popularity of BJP which is in power in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhatisgarh and of Congress in Delhi would be tested ahead of the Lok Sabha elections as counting of votes in the Assembly polls in the five states including Mizoram would be taken up on Monday.

The elections were held in the midst of economic meltdown and the Mumbai terror strikes, making the campaign a lacklustre affair.

The fate of several stlawarts like Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Bharatiya Janashakti chief Uma Bharti and senior BJP minister Babulal Gaur would be decided in Madhya Pradesh which witnessed a 60 per cent turnout during elections to the 230-member Assembly.

Senior Congress ministers, including former chief minister Digvijay Singh, gave the polls a miss.

The Rajasthan poll outcome would be a test for Chief Minister Vasudhanra Raje government's performance in the state.

Besides Raje, AICC general secretary Ashok Gehlot and PCC president C P Joshi are among the prominent leaders who entered the fray. Elections to the 200-member assembly saw a 68 per cent turnout.

In the national capital, Sheila Dikshit is seeking a hat-trick for the Congress government on the developmental plank against BJP's aggressive campaign which has been hoping to cash-in on anti-incumbency.