Assembly election verdict in four states on Sunday

Exit polls have predicted a near rout for the Congress and a good showing for the BJP

The fate of governments in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh will be known tomorrow when counting of votes takes place in the assembly elections, considered the semi-finals ahead of the Lok Sabha elections next year.

In Mizoram, where too election was held, counting will take place on December 9.

Voting ranged between over 65% in Delhi and over 81% in Mizoram. Rajasthan recorded over 74%, while Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh over 70%.

With Narendra Modi spearheading the BJP campaign after his nomination as the party's Prime Ministerial candidate, all eyes will be on how the party performs in the current round of elections.

On the other hand, the Congress performance could point to the potential of Rahul Gandhi as the party's mascot ahead of the big fight early next year.

The contest was essentially bipolar between BJP and Congress in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, while in Delhi it was a virtual triangular contest with new entrant AAP making it difficult for the two parties.

Exit polls after the elections in these states have predicted a near rout for Congress and a good showing for BJP, which is likely to retain power in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and wrest power in Rajasthan.

Sheila Dikshit, seeking a record fourth term as Delhi Chief Minister, appears to be facing the toughest battle in the national capital with the emergence of Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party upsetting the calculations of both the Congress and the BJP. Harshvardhan is BJP's Chief Ministerial candidate.

There are 810 candidates in fray in Delhi for 70 seats. While Congress and AAP are contesting all the seats, BJP is in the fray in 66 seats. It has given four seats to ally SAD.