The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance is well ahead of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance as counting continues for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. As of 6.20 pm, the BJP had won 27 seats and was ahead in 277 others, and the Congress had won seven and ahead in just 43, according to the Election Commission. The results for 43 seats had been declared.

Most exit polls predicted that the BJP-led NDA is likely to secure a comfortable majority in the Lok Sabha elections.

Here are six ways to follow our live coverage of the results. You can read our election news coverage here, and Scroll.in’s in-depth reportage here.

  • This blog now comes to an end. We’ll move to breaking down the results and analysing their impact more from here on, but there are other ways to follow the numbers as they continue to come in. You can read our election news coverage here, and Scroll.in’s in-depth reportage here. You can follow live updates here.
  • Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday conceded defeat from his party stronghold Amethi in Uttar Pradesh to Bharatiya Janata Party leader Smriti Irani. However, the Election Commission is yet to announce the final result. “I respect the decision and congratulate Smriti Irani ji,” said Gandhi while addressing the media. Before Thursday, only twice has Amethi elected non-Congress MPs.

    Read more here:
    Rahul Gandhi concedes defeat to Smriti Irani in Congress bastion Amethi
  • Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party leader Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday conceded defeat in the Lok Sabha elections after she trailed behind National Conference’s Hasnain Masoodi and Congress’ Ghulam Ahmad Mir in the Anantnag seat. “I’ve been fortunate to get the love & affection of my people. They have every right to express their anger for my failings. Accept their verdict with humility,” Mufti said on Twitter.

    Read more here:     Mehbooba Mufti concedes defeat in Anantnag, says Congress should ‘get an Amit Shah’
  • Several international leaders congratulated Narendra Modi on Thursday as the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance is all set for a historic win. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the election results reaffirmed Modi’s leadership. Chinese President Xi Jinping, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin also congratulated him.Read more here: World leaders congratulate Narendra Modi, say they look forward to better ties with India
  • Bharatiya Janata Party leader and terror-accused Pragya Singh Thakur looks set to win the Bhopal Lok Sabha seat. This is Thakur’s first Lok Sabha election. By around 3.30 pm, she had won 6.24 lakh votes in the constituency. Congress leader Digvijaya Singh was trailing her by more than 2.55 lakh votes. The counting is still in progress. According to Election Commission data, Thakur had won 61.11% of the votes by 3.30 pm, while Singh had 36.09%.Read more here:2019 election results: Pragya Thakur leads by over 2.55 lakh votes in Bhopal, thanks the people

Scroll’s live coverage of the results:

  • More than 8,000 candidates were in the fray for 542 seats, and over 67% of the electorate had turned up to cast their votes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav were among important contestants in this election. Click here for other key races in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
  • Here we are tracking the votes being counted in the core and mostly Hindi-speaking states, where the Bharatiya Janata Party scored huge victories in the 2014 General Elections – Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
  • While much of the country is focused on North India, here we look at the 2019 Lok Sabha races in the five southern states, which are a much more complex mix of established powers, new parties and young leaders hoping to make a mark.
  • In focus is also East India, where the BJP is hoping to make major gains. This region, which includes West Bengal, Odisha and the seven states of the North East, especially Assam, accounts for 87 Lok Sabha seats.
  • We also have more analytical coverage of voting here, as our reporters provide their insights on the numbers trickling in. This blog will help you follow what’s happening across the country, but with more nuance and context.
  • The focus on the Lok Sabha elections has taken the spotlight away from four Assembly polls – Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim. However, these state elections may lead to shifts political power in key states. Will the BJP take Odisha? Will Chandrababu Naidu hold on to Andhra Pradesh? 

Other election coverage:

  • Shreya Roy Chowdhury and Mridula Chari report on The Silent Army – the five million workers who pull off the Indian elections.
  • Aarefa Johari and Nayantara Narayanan travelled to find out in Half the Vote, a series that brought to you the stories and perspectives of women – only women – on life and politics.
  • Will BJP win again under Modi? Supriya Sharma travelled to the party’s strongholds to find out as part of The Modi Voter series.
  • Rohan Venkataramakrishnan writes about the ten challenges India will face no matter who wins the elections. They range from the water crisis to rural distress to terrible education outcomes.
  • You can read our election news coverage here, and Scroll.in’s in-depth reportage here.