The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-Congress alliance was set to sweep Tamil Nadu, according to trends reported by the Election Commission of India as of 9.45 pm. The alliance was leading in 35 of the 39 seats in the state that went to polls. In the bye-elections for 22 Assembly seats in Tamil Nadu, trends showed the DMK and the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in a close fight.
The Bharatiya Janata Party swept Karnataka and made inroads in Telangana. Of the 29 seats in Karnataka, the BJP was leading in 26 at 9.40 pm. The Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) won one seat each.
In Telangana, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi and its ally, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, had won seven seats and were ahead in two seats as of 9.40 pm. The BJP won one and was leading in three and the Congress won a seat and was ahead in two.
In Kerala, the Congress-led United Democratic Front was leading in at least 18 of 20 Lok Sabha seats and had won three seats as of 9.40 pm. In Andhra Pradesh, the YSR Congress was leading in 23 of 25 seats, while the Telugu Desam Party was ahead in two constituencies.
In the run up to the elections, much of the country was focused on whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi would return to power. The races in the five southern states, however, were a much more complex mix of established powers, new parties and young leaders hoping to make a mark.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is a significant player in only one of the states, Karnataka, while it remains a bit player in the other four, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Kerala, where the results will have little to do with Modi – at least directly.
Each of the states presents a slightly different picture, with no broader narrative framing the contests across the south, except whether the BJP will be able to make an entry beyond Karnataka, particularly in Kerala – where it has fought hard to turn religion into a political issue, but remains tiny compared to the Left and the Congress – and Tamil Nadu, where numerous players are hoping to take advantage of a perceived vacuum in the first elections after the deaths of former Chief Ministers M Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa.
The Telugu states have typically been important to the formation of a coalition government at the Centre, but since the bifurcation into Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in 2014, the question has been about who will dominate politics in the newly-created states.
Karnataka
Total no. of seats: 28
Main parties and alliances
The Bharatiya Janata Party: The party won 17 seats in the 2014 elections and its vote share over the past three general elections has grown in the state. The BJP is also the single largest party in the Assembly, but fell short of majority to form the government.
The Janata Dal (Secular) and the Congress are contesting the elections together. The two parties also run a coalition government in the state
Seat share
BJP: 27 + 1 independent
UPA
Congress: 20
Janata Dal (Secular): 8
Tamil Nadu
Total seats: 39 + 1 seat in Puducherry
Election in Vellore parliamentary constituency was cancelled amid allegations of suspected use of money to influence voters
Main parties and alliances
The All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, which is in power in the state, the Bharatiya Janata Party, Pattali Makkal Katchi and the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam are part an alliance.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Congress, Left parties and a few smaller parties are fighting the elections together.
Seat share
NDA
AIADMK: 20
BJP: 5
PMK: 6 + 1 seat in Puducherry
Others: 7
UPA
DMK: 20
Congress: 8 + 1 seat in Puducherry
Others: 10
Andhra Pradesh
Total no. of seats: 25
Main parties and alliances
The Telugu Desam Party led by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, the YSR Congress Party led by Jaganmohan Reddy and the Jana Sena Party founded by actor Pawan Kalyan are the main competitor. The Congress and the BJP have also fielded candidates.
Seat share
TDP, YSRCP, Congress and BJP are contesting all 25 seats
Jana Sena Party: 18
BSP: 3 seats
CPI and the CPI(M) : 2 each
The state Assembly elections were held along with the Lok Sabha elections.
Telangana
Total no. of seats: 17
Main parties and alliances
The Telangana Rashtra Samithi led by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen are allies. The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress are also contesting for Lok Sabha seats in the state.
Seat share
TRS: 17 seats
AIMIM: 2
BJP: 17
Congress: 17
Kerala
Total no. of seats: 20
Main parties and alliances
United Democratic Front: The Congress, Indian Union Muslim League, Kerala Congress (Mani) and the Revolutionary Socialist Party are part of the alliance
Left Democratic Front: The Communist party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India and independents have tied up for the elections. The current government in the state is led by the LDF.
National Democratic Alliance: The Bharatiya Janata Party has forged alliances with the Bharath Dharma Jana Sena and the Kerala Congress (Thomas).
Seat share
UDF
Congress: 16
Others: 4
LDF
CPI (M): 14
CPI and others: 6
NDA
BJP: 15
BDJS, Kerala Congress (Thomas): 5
Here are the updates we covered in this blog through the day:
6.48 pm: This blog now comes to an end. We will 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.
6.37 pm: Here are the figures for seats won and leads for the five southern states for the Lok Sabha elections:
Telangana (17 seats): TRS: won 2 (leading 7), BJP: won 1 (leading 3), Congress: won 1 (leading 2)
Karnataka (28 seats): BJP: won 12 (leading 13), JD(S)+Congress: Won 2 (leading zero)
Andhra Pradesh (25 seats): YSR Congress: leading 22, TDP: leading 3
Kerala (20 seats): UDF: won 3 (leading 16), LDF: leading 1
Tamil Nadu (38 seats, polling was cancelled in one seat): DMK-Congress: won one (leading 36), AIADMK-BJP: leading 1.
(Source: Election Commission of India)
6.27 pm: DMK chief MK Stalin thanks the electorate for the Opposition alliance’s resounding victory in Tamil Nadu. “During the next five years, we will work hard to fulfill the promises made and protect the interest of our state,” he tweets.
Stalin also congratulates Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “We hope and wish he will provide a progressive government based on the principles of democracy and inclusivity,” he adds.
6.03 pm: In Telangana, the BJP has won the Karimnagar seat, defeating incumbent MP B Vinod Kumar of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi. He lost to Bandi Sanjay Kumar by 89,508 votes. The saffron party is currently leading in Adilabad, Nizamabad and Secunderabad, all of which are held by the TRS.
5.53 pm: In Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiris constituency, former Union minister A Raja of the DMK has a massive lead of over 2 lakh votes over his nearest AIADMK rival while Dayanidhi Maran – another former Union minister from the party – looks set to win Chennai Central, show poll panel figures.
5.25 pm: The Election Commmission, as of now, has delcared 10 seats for BJP in Karnataka and one each for the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular). Former Prime Minister HD Devegowda’s grandson Prajwal Revanna has won the party bastion of Hassan by a margin of 1.41 lakh votes.
5.18 pm: Tamil Nadu BJP chief Tamilisai Soundararajan accepts defeat in the Thoothukudi Lok Sabha election. She contested against DMK’s Kanimozhi.
Soundararajan tells reporters that she accepts the verdict but adds that the loss will not stop her from continuing to work for people in the constituency. She adds that it is unfortunate that people of Thoothukudi lost an opportunity to send a BJP representative to the Cabinet at the Centre, someone who could “bring in more development projects.
4.31 pm: Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge has conceded defeat from Gulbarga in Karnataka. He is trailing the BJP’s Umesh Jadhav by 95,168 vote, according to Election Commission figures at 4.30 pm. “We believe in democracy,” he tells ANI. “We will discuss how to correct our mistakes and how to strengthen the party.”
4.23 pm: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor thanks his party workers and the people of Thiruvananthapuram after declaring victory. He also thanks his rivals Kummanam Rajasekharan of the BJP and C Divakaran of the Communist Party of India.
Tharoor said he felt like a batsman who had scored a century while his team had lost. “It is a bittersweet emotion I will take some time to reflect on,” he adds.
3.55 pm: YSR Congress Party chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy is likely to take oath as Andhra Pradesh chief minister on May 30, reports Hindustan Times.
3.49 pm: Janata Dal (Secular) candidate Prajwal Revanna, who is the grandson of former Prime Minister HD Devegowda, win Hassan seat in Karnataka, reports The NewsMinute. Devegowda was elected from the seat five times.
3.30 pm: Actor Rajinikanath congratulates Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “You made it,” he says on Twitter.
3.15 pm: Here are the leads for the five southern states for the Lok Sabha elections:
Telangana (17 seats): TRS: 8, BJP: 5, Congress: 4
Karnataka (28 seats): BJP: 24, JD(S)+Congress: 4
Andhra Pradesh (25 seats): YSR Congress: 25
Kerala (20 seats): UDF: 19, LDF: 1
Tamil Nadu (39 seats, polling was cancelled in one seat): DMK-Congress: 35, AIADMK-BJP: 3
(Source: NDTV)
2.58 pm: Here are the leads for Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections and Tamil Nadu bye-elections:
Andhra Pradesh (175 constituencies)
YSR Congress: 141
TDP: 32
Others: 2
Tamil Nadu (22 constituencies)
DMK: 14
AIADMK: 8
(Source: Election Commission and NDTV)
2.52 pm: BJP Karnataka chief BS Yeddyurappa says the pride of Janata Dal (Secular) and the Congress have given a favourable result for the BJP, reports NDTV. “People who spoke with disregard about the PM, like Siddaramaiah and Rahul Gandhi, should apologise...”
2.45 pm: The DMK writes to the Election Commission of India alleging reporters authorised by the poll panel are being sent out of counting centres across Tamil Nadu by officials in “collusion with the AIADMK”. “This is probably with an intention to manipulate the votes to favour the ruling AIADMK candidates, as they are struggling to get the number to sustain their government,” the party says in a letter addressed to the chief election commission and the chief electoral officer of the state.
2.27 pm: YSR Congress party chief Jaganmohan Reddy thanks citizens for voting in favour of his party in the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. “I also thank them for exercising their franchise in large numbers and enhancing the value of democracy,” he says, according to The Indian Express. “I will live up to the expectations of the people.”
2.23 pm: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami congratulates Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the “magnificent victory” in the elections. “The people of our country have honoured you with a second consecutive term,” he says in a letter to Modi.
2.15 pm: Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy arrives at Janata Dal (Secular) supremo HD Devegowda’s residence in Bengaluru as trends point towards a major victory for BJP in the state, reports The News Minute.
2 pm: The vote share of Telangana Rahstra Samithi, which is leading in eight seats in Telangana, 41.64%. The vote share of the BJP and the Congress, which are leading in four seats each, are 18.36% and 29.91%, according to ECI.
1.57 pm: In Karnataka, the BJP’s vote share is 51.78% and the Congress’s vote share is 32.15%, according to ECI.
1.43 pm: Here are the leads for Andhra Pradesh Assembly polls and bye-elections in Tamil Nadu:
Andhra Pradesh (175 constituencies)
YSR Congress: 152
TDP: 23
Tamil Nadu (22 constituencies)
DMK: 13
AIADMK: 9
Source: Election Commission.
1.37 pm: YSR Congress leader Ummareddy Venkateswarlu says people have confidence in party chief Jaganmohan Reddy to lead the state. “Looking at the loot by N Chandrababu Naidu, the public doesn’t want him to rule the state,” he says, according to ANI.
1.03 pm: In Telangana, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s daughter, K Kavita, is trailing behind BJP candidate Arvind Dharmapuri by in Nizamabad by more than 30,000 votes.
12.57 pm: Here are the leads so far:
Telangana (17 seats)
TRS+AIMIM: 10
BJP: 4
Congress: 3
Karnataka (28 seats)
BJP: 24
JD(S)+ Congress: 3
Others: 1
Andhra Pradesh (25 seats)
YSR Congress: 25
Kerala (20 seats)
UDF: 18
LDF: 2
Tamil Nadu (39 seats, polling was deferred in one seat)
DMK-Congress: 34
AIADMK-BJP: 4
(Source: Election Commission, NDTV)
12.31 pm: AIADMK workers protest outside a counting centre in Chennai alleging EVM tampering and counting fraud, reports NDTV.
12.16 pm: In Tamil Nadu, DMK candidate and former Union minister Dayanidhi Maran leads with more than 70,000 votes. DMK’s Kanimozhi, who is the daughter of former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, and Congress candidate Karti Chidambaram, whose father is former Union minister P Chidambaram, lead in Thoothukudi and Sivaganga.
12.05 pm: In Karnataka, BJP candidate Anantkumar Hegde leads in Uttara Kannada constituency by more than 3 lakh votes, according to ECI.
12.01 pm: The Telangana Rashtra Samithi leads in eight seats in Telangana, while the BJP leads in six seats. The Congress leads in three of 17 seats, reports NDTV.
11.58 am: In Karnataka, independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh, who has BJP’s backing, has a slim lead over JD(S) candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy, son of Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, of 2,000 votes, according to ECI.
11.42 am: In Telangana, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi leads in Hyderabad constituency. The party is an ally of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi.
11.31 am: In Karnataka, BJP candidate for Bangalore South, Tejasvi Surya, is leading with more than 1 lakh votes, according to the ECI. BJP’s Umesh Jadhav is leading over Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge by over 35,000 votes.
11.01 am: In Tamil Nadu bye-elections, the DMK and the AIADMK are both leading in 10 seats each, according to the ECI.
10.57 am: In Kerala, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi is leading by more than 1 lakh votes in Wayanad, according to ECI.
10.53 am: In Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections, the YSR Congress is leading in 136 seats of the 166 seats for which leads are available, reports NDTV. The state Assembly has 175 seats.
10.42 am: In Karnataka, former Prime Minister HD Devegowda of the Janata Dal (Secular) is trailing by over 9,000 votes. Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge is is trailing behind BJP’s Umesh Jadhav by 22,000 votes, according to ECI.
10.34 am: In Karnataka, the BJP is leading in 23 of 28 seats, according to ECI. The Congress is leading in three seats and the Janata Dal (Secular) in two seats.
10.28 am: In Tamil Nadu bye-elections, the DMK is leading in 13 seats, while the ruling AIADMK is leading from 9 seats, according to Puthiyathalaimurai TV.
10.25 am: Congress chief Rahul Gandhi is leading in Wayanad, according to ECI.
10.19 am: The Telangana Rashtra Samithi is leading 11 of the 16 seats for which leads are available, according to ECI.
In Andhra Pradesh, YSR Congress is leading in 22 seats of 25 seats.
10.12 am: In Tamil Nadu, DMK candidate Kanimozhi is leading by 27,223 votes in Thoothukudi constituency. Congress candidate Karti Chidamabaram is leading in Sivaganga constituency.
10.08 am: In Tamil Nadu, the DMK and the AIADMK are both leading in 10 Assembly seats, according to Puthiya Thalaimurai. Bye-elections for 22 Assembly seats in the state were held along with the Lok Sabha elections.
9.52 am: In Andhra Pradesh, the YSR Congress is leading in 19 of 21 seats for which leads are available.
In the state Assembly elections, the YSR Congress is leading in 35 of 41 seats for which leads are available.
9.48 am: Bye-elections to 22 Assembly seats in Tamil Nadu were held together with the Lok Sabha elections. The DMK is leading in 10 Assembly seats, while the AIADMK is leading in six seats, according to Puthiya Thalaimurai.
9.35 am: In Kerala, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi is leading by over 30,000 votes in Wayanad, according to ECI.
In Tamil Nadu, DMK candidate Kanimozhi is leading in Thoothukudi constituency.
9.31 am: In Karnataka, BJP candidate Tejasvi Surya is leading in Bengaluru South constituency and senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge is trailing in Gulbarga. The BJP is leading in 20 of 28 seats in the state, according to ECI.
9.29 am: In Kerala, the Congress-led United Democratic Front is leading in 18 of 20 seats, according to ECI.
9.23 am: In Andhra Pradesh, YSR Congress is leading in six of 25 seats, while Telugu Desam Party is leading in one seat, according to ECI.
9.17 am: In Kerala, BJP candidate K Surendran is leading in Pathanamthitta constituency, according to ECI. The constituency was at the centre of protests over the Supreme Court verdict allowing entry of women of menstruating age into the Sabarimala temple.
9.12 am: In Kerala, two-time MP and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor is leading in Thiruvananthapuram, according to ECI.
9.10 am: In Tamil Nadu, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi chief Thol Thirumavalavan is leading in Chidambaram constituency, reports Puthiya Thalaimurai. The VCK is part of the BJP-AIADMK alliance.
9.01 am: In Kerala, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi is leading in Wayanad constituency, according to the ECI.
9 am: In Karnataka, the BJP is leading in 14 of the 28 seats, according to the Election Commission.
8.54 am: In Karnataka, former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda’s grandson, Prajwal Revanna, is leading in Hassan constituency, according to the Election Commission.
8.48 am: In Telangana, the BJP is leading in two seats, the Congress and the Telugu Rashtra Samithi is leading in one seats each, according to the Election Commission.
8.46 am: In Kerala, the Congress is leading in three seats and the BJP in one seat, according to Election Commission.
8.43 am: In Karnataka, the BJP is leading in five seats, according to the Election Commission.
8.39 am: In Tamil Nadu, the DMK is leading in 8 seats, reports Puthiya Thalaimurai. In Andhra Pradesh, the YSR Congress is leading in three seats, reports NDTV.
8.34 am: In Kerala, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) is leading in 8 seats, reports News18. The Congress is leading in five seats while the BJP in one seat.
8.32 am: In Karnataka, the BJP is leading in 21 out of 28 seats and the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) alliance in five seats, reports NDTV.
8.29 am: Prohibitory orders have been imposed in Mandya district in Karnataka, reports The Times of India.
8.25 am: To track counting in the Hindi-speaking states where BJP scored massive victories in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, follow our Heartland Tracker. For all major updates, follow Elections with Scroll.
8.15 am: In Dakshina Kannada district in Karnataka, Deputy Commissioner Sasikanth Senthil clamps prohibitory orders for 24 hours starting 5 am on Thursday to maintain law and order, reports The Hindu.
8.06 am: In Karnataka, the BJP is leading in four seats, while the Congress-JD(S) alliance is leading in two seats, reports NDTV.
7.59 am: Kummanam Rajasekharan, BJP candidate for Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, says Kerala should choose NDA at the Centre for development of the state and its welfare, reports ANI. “Now that Kerala is coming up in mainstream, I am very much confident that I’ll win in this election.”
Rajasekharan contested against two-time MP and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor.
7.50 am: In Karnataka, BJP candidate Tejasvi Surya say he is confident of winning. “I am confident I will be able to contribute to legislation and policy making in this country,” he tells ANI.
Tejasvi Surya is the BJP’s candidate in Bangalore South, a seat that the party has held since 1991
7.42 am: In Tamil Nadu, DMK chief MK Stalin says his party and the United Progressive Alliance will capture power. “Rahul Gandhi will be prime minister,” Stalin tells media.
7.38 am: The counting of votes will begin at 8 am.
7.24 am: Jaganmohan Reddy of the YSR Congress and Pawan Kalyan of the Jana Sena Party are in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, to follow the counting. Prashant Kishor of the Janata Dal (United), an ally of the BJP, is accompanying Reddy.
7.10 am: This blog will cover Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Kerala. They account for 129 seats in the Lok Sabha.