The BJP headed for a second straight win in politically crucial Uttar Pradesh and dominated the trends chart in three other states while the Aam Aadmi Party readied for a landslide win in Punjab, the two parties imprinting Elections 2022 with their triumph. As votes were counted for elections to five states held over February and March, BJP could end the day with a 4-1 score.
Here are the counting trends:
Punjab
The Aam Aadmi Party appeared set for a clean sweep in Punjab having taken lead in 92 of the 117 assembly seats after several rounds of counting of votes on Thursday. Trends available at 5 pm showed the ruling Congress, SAD-BSP combine and the BJP-PLC-SAD (Sanyukt) alliance appeared to be decimated.
The Congress was leading in 18 seats, SAD in three, BJP two and an Independent candidate in one seat, according to trends available at 5 pm. Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu was defeated from Amritsar East.
Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi was trailing from in Chamkaur Sahib seat where he is the sitting MLA , and in Bhadaur, the second seat from where he had entered the fray.
Manipur
The BJP set the ball rolling in Manipur as Chief Minister N Biren Singh defeated his nearest Congress rival P Saratchandra Singh in Heingang. The ruling BJP won 14 seats and Nitish Kumar's JD (U) bagged four constituencies, ECI data showed.
Congress and the National People's Party (NPP) won three and two seats, respectively. Two Independent candidates have also secured a victory. The BJP was leading in 28 seats, while the JD (U) was ahead in seven seats and the Congress in four. Meanwhile, Naga People's Front (NPF) was leading in five constituencies and the NPP in six seats. The Kuki People's Alliance was ahead in two seats, while independent candidates were leading in three constituencies.
Uttar Pradesh
In trends available for the 403 seats in the state, the ruling party BJP was ahead in 254 seats, short of its earlier count of 312 but comfortably over the halfway mark in polls that come a year after the devastating second Covid wave. This will be the first time in over three decades that a party will get re-elected for a second term in the state. The ruling party has till now won in 21 seats.
The Samajwadi Party, which made a vigorous bid for power with its leader Akhilesh Yadav attracting huge crowds at campaign rallies, was trailing with leads in 113 seats, a significant jump from the 47 last time.
Adding to the saffron party’s tally, BJP ally Apna Dal (Soneylal) was ahead in 12 seats. The Congress was virtually wiped out of the chart with leads in only two seats, notwithstanding its leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra focusing her attention on the state. The BSP, which barely made a campaign splash, was leading in one seat.
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Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Congress leader Harish Rawat, who led the campaigns of their respective parties in the assembly polls, were trailing on their respective seats on Thursday.
The ruling BJP looked all set to secure a second consecutive term in office in Uttarakhand leading in 29 out of the total 70 seats, and having won in 18 seats according to the latest trends till 5 pm.
Congress and BSP were leading in 19 and two seats respectively, the EC data showed. Prominent candidates trailing in their respective seats included Congress veteran Harish Rawat, who was behind Mohan Singh Bisht of the BJP by 12048 votes in Lalkuan and Subodh Uniyal of the BJP, who was trailing behind Om Gopal Rawat of the Congress in Narendra Nagar by 231 votes.
Goa
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant won the election from his traditional Sanquelim Assembly constituency on Thursday and expressed confidence that the BJP will form government in the coastal state.
The BJP in the coastal state was ahead with leads in 20 of the 40 seats while its nearest rival Congress was at 11. The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) was ahead in two seats. The Goa Forward Party (GFP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) were leading in one and two seats respectively, while independents were ahead in three seats.
Independent candidate Utpal Parrikar, the son of Goa's former chief minister Manohar Parrikar, lost to BJP's Atanasio Monserratte from the Panaji Assembly seat.
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