A second term, a smaller majority
What happened
Bharatiya Janata Party won a second term, keeping a comfortable majority even as its own numbers slipped.
BJP won 143 of the 230 seats.
Its vote share — the slice of all ballots cast that went to one party or candidate — slipped to 37.6%, a fall of -4.9 pp.
The Indian National Congress improved to 71 seats, still well short of power.
What changed
BJP won again, but with noticeably less room to spare than before.
BJP won 143 seats this time, down from 173 at the previous election.
It still cleared a majority comfortably, with 27 seats to spare beyond the halfway mark.
Notable numbers
A few numbers from the results stand out.
The closest contest of the night was Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, decided by a margin — how far ahead the winner finished, in votes, over whoever came second — of just 1 vote.
Turnout — the share of registered voters who actually cast a ballot — was highest in Waraseoni, Madhya Pradesh, reaching 84.4%.
It was lowest in Jobat, Madhya Pradesh, at just 49.0%.
The most crowded ballot was in Pichhore, Madhya Pradesh, where 33 candidates stood for the same seat.
The backdrop
This was the state's second election since its eastern districts split away to form a new state.
The Madhya Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2000, took effect on 1 November 2000, carving out the new state of Chhattisgarh from Madhya Pradesh's eastern districts. Madhya Pradesh's Legislative Assembly shrank from 320 to 230 constituencies, with the 90 transferred seats becoming Chhattisgarh's assembly.