‘Special 16’ in Madhya Pradesh to indicate which party to form the government

New Delhi, Dec 8: After the suspense of exit polls getting over and Satta Bazar has their own predictions, the Congress and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are keeping their eyes set on 16 important seats that would be decisive for them in the formation of the government in Madhya Pradesh. They are being called as 'Special 16' in the state.

Strategists of both the principal political parties are looking at every permutation and combination that which way these 16 seats may go. Actually there is a myth about these 16 seats that whosoever had won them in the Assembly elections that party had formed the government in the state. In the past six elections this myth remained intact.

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Political analysts call these seats as Bellwether for Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls that indicates which way the result might go. They include every region of the state. These seats include Susner, Jawad, Badnagar, Manawar, Khargaun and Sendhwa seats from the Malwa-Nimar region. Gwalier (east), Saunsar, Nariawali, Hosangabad, Ghoda, Dogri, Baitul, Nepanagar and eastern Madhya Pradesh's Bijawar, Badwara and Niwas are included in the 'Special 16'.

Both the political parties have put some extra efforts to decide names of candidates on these seats because politicians in Madhya Pradesh too believe on this myth or superstition. There are four such seats in the state that is continuously with the ruling party from the past 37 years as from the past nine elections whichever party has won these seats had formed the government. They are Khargon, Nepanagar, Sendhwa and Niwas.

There are three such seats which are with the ruling party from the past 34 years that is eight elections. They are Manawar, Sausar and Nariawali. In the Special 16, six seats are such that they are with the ruling party from past 29 years that is seven assembly elections.