The Congress was poised on Wednesday to form governments in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh, signalling a new-found energy in the party ranks and energising opposition efforts to stop the BJP juggernaut before general elections next year.

Belying predictions of exit polls, the Congress won convincingly in Chattisgarh, less so in Rajasthan, and scraped through with a wafer-thin lead in Madhya Pradesh. In Rajasthan, the contenders for the chief minister's post are Pradesh Congress Committee president Sachin Pilot and former chief minister Ashok Gehlot, both of whom won huge victories in their constituencies. "We will take along all non-BJP parties and elected members who are against BJP and are willing to support us," Pilot told reporters before the Congress Legislative Party meeting.