NEW DELHI -- India's main ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), won the elections in the central states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and the western state of Rajasthan, preliminary poll showed.

While the counting of votes is still underway, the latest data released by the Election Commission of India showed that the BJP won in nearly 166 Assembly constituencies out of a total of 230 in Madhya Pradesh, 56 constituencies out of 90 in Chhattisgarh, and 115 constituencies out of 199 in Rajasthan.

Besides the three states where the BJP won, the party also increased its tally in the southern state of Telangana from one to nearly eight constituencies out of 119.