Assembly Election Results 2022: 10 things to know

Find the most important news picks from the Counting Day activities in five states

Where is counting take place:

Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Punjab are the states that went for the polls in seven phases. The results of the assembly elections for five states will be declared on March 10.

When does the counting of votes start:

The counting of votes will begin at 8 am on March 10 across counting centres in the five states, under the respective Returning Officers.

Key parties in the fray:

Uttar Pradesh

The BJP is seeking to retain power but is facing a tough battle against the SP-RLD alliance. BSP and Congress might also hold the sway in case of a hung assembly.

Goa

It is a straightforward battle between the BJP and Congress, while AAP and TMC may affect the poll outcome in case of a hung assembly.

Manipur

The Congress has allied itself with five others, including Left parties, and contested the polls under the banner of Manipur Progressive Secular Alliance. It will be a fight between the alliance and BJP.

Uttarakhand

It is a bipolar battle between the BJP and Congress, which have been alternating the governments in the recent past.

Punjab

The Aam Aadmi Party is expected to make a splash in the face-off against the Congress and the BJP's alliance with former Congress man Captain Amarinder Singh and the Shiromani Akali Dal. Farmer leaders may also make their mark following their recent success in getting the farm laws repealed.

What exit polls predict:

The electoral battles over the recent past could be broadly categorised as a battle between BJP and Congress. However, this time around, exit polls have predicted a win for AAP in Punjab, while the Trinamool Congress has entered the Goa political fray, and also Uttar Pradesh, by lending its support to the Samajwadi Party.

While BJP has been predicted to win Manipur and Uttar Pradesh, the exit polls have predicted a close battle between the BJP and Congress for Goa and Uttarakhand.

Key constituencies:

Uttar Pradesh

The most keenly watched constituencies in this election will be Gorakhpur Urban from where Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is contesting. He is up against Azad Samaj Party's Chandrashekhar Azad. In Karhal, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav will fight against BJP has pitted SP Singh Baghel against Akhilesh in Karhal.

Varanasi district, from where PM Modi contested in the Lok Sabha election, is also crucial as this remains a BJP stronghold even in the legislative assembly.

Lakhimpur will be a keenly watched constituency after protesting farmers were mowed down and union minister Ajay Mishra's son was arrested—and later released—in connection with the case.

Punjab

Charanjit Singh Channi's constituencies of Chamkaur Sahib and Bhadaur will be followed closely. He is the Congress CM's face. The party is hoping to capitalise on the Dalit narrative with Channi's candidature.

The AAP's CM candidate Bhagwant Mann will be contesting from Dhuri. Jalalabad constituency from which Shiromani Akali Dal's Sukhbir Singh Badal is fighting will be crucial too.

Sidhu is contesting from Amritsar East and Parkash Singh Badal from Lambi. Former CM Amarinder Singh is contesting from Patiala.

Goa

Sanquelim, Panaji and Benaulim will be crucial constituencies for Goa this year. CM Pramod Sawant is fighting to secure his seat for BJP in Sanquelim while Utpal Parrikar is contesting as an independent candidate in Panaji.

Manipur

In Manipur, the contest is primarily between Chief Minister N Biren Singh and his former mentor in Congress Okram Ibobi Singh. Nongthombam Biren Singh is contesting from the Heingang constituency. Okram Ibobi Singh is contesting from the Thoubal seat.

Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand’s electorate has never returned an incumbent government in the last four assembly polls. Khatima, from where CM Pushkar Singh Dhami is contesting and Lalkuan, Congress's Harish Rawat's stronghold are key constituencies to watch out for.

Impact on 2024 Lok Sabha elections:

The BJP has won successive elections at the central level, making Uttar Pradesh its stronghold since 2014. However, political parties from across India, including TRS, DMK, TMC, Left parties, NCP and Shiv Sena, have been mobilising to form an anti-BJP front with the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in mind.

Even BJP's Amit Shah has acknowledged that the party must win Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections to clear the path to form a third successive government

Congress faces acid test:

The Congress is facing a battle to make its mark on Indian politics, after a dismal showing in the previous polls in Uttar Pradesh and Lok Sabha polls.

Smriti Irani also won the Amethi seat in the Lok Sabha elections, taking over the Congress bastion, from where senior Congress leaders were elected as parliamentarians.

At present, with parties forming an anti-BJP contingent in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Congress must show that it has the nous to lead the opposition front.

Richest candidates in the fray:

Uttar Pradesh

Nawab Kazim Ali Khan (Rampur constituency) of Congress — Rs 296.8 crore

Goa

Delilah Michael Lobo (Siolim constituency) and Michael Vincent Lobo (Calangute constituency) of Congress — Rs 92.9 crore

Uttarakhand

Antriksh Saini (Laksar constituency) of Congress — Rs 123.9 crore

Manipur

Alfred Kanngam S Arthur (Ukhrul (St) constituency) of Congress — Rs 51 crore

Punjab

Kulwant Singh (SAS Nagar constituency) of Aam Aadmi Party — Rs 238.5 crore

(Source: ADR report)

Candidates with criminal antecedents:
Uttar Pradesh — 26% of 4,406 candidates
Uttarakhand — 17% of 626 candidates
Manipur — 20% of 265 candidates
Goa — 26% of 301 candidates
Punjab — 25% of 1,276 candidates

(Source: ADR report)

Covid-19 cloud:

The Covid-19 pandemic struck anew in January when the Omicron variant spread across the country, taking daily cases well over 4 lakh, even if it was milder than the Delta variant. This came at the height of campaigning, prompting the Election Commission to ban large rallies and in-person campaigning. It will be interesting to see how parties fared in reaching out to people via virtual campaigning.

Political parties set up war rooms for local campaigns and connected with voters through social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and Instagram, among others.

The BJP had a slight edge over other parties in this regard. Not only was BJP one of the few parties to adopt social media for its campaigning before the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, but it has also diversified its digital footprint to a large extent since. The party already has more than 1.5 lakh booth-level WhatsApp groups in the state, which were used for virtual rallies.

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