The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance has won or is leading in almost 350 seats as counting continued on Thursday night, NDTV reported. The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance, however, is ahead in fewer than 100 seats, while other parties are ahead in 103 others. According to NDTV, the NDA is ahead in a total of 348 seats and the UPA in 91 seats at 10 pm.
Votes are being counted for 542 out of 543 Lok Sabha seats because the election in Vellore constituency was cancelled amid allegations of suspected use of money to influence voters.
By 10 pm, the BJP had officially won 152 seats and was still leading in 151 seats, while the Congress had won 29 and was leading in 22, according to the Election Commission of India. The results for 251 seats had been declared by the Election Commission.
The BJP and its allies have won two seats and are leading in 37 of the 40 seats in Bihar. Similarly, the BJP and its allies have won three seats and are leading in 60 more of the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh.
In Rajasthan, the NDA is ahead in all 25 seats. The BJP has won two seats in Madhya Pradesh and is leading in 26 more. In Gujarat, the saffron party is ahead in all 26 seats. BJP is leading in eight out of 11 seats in Chhattisgarh. The BJP and its ally were ahead in 12 of 14 seats in Jharkhand. In Maharashtra, the NDA was ahead in 40 of 48 seats and had won one seat.
In Tamil Nadu, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-Congress alliance is leading in 36 of the 38 Lok Sabha seats.
Of the 29 seats in Karnataka, the BJP won 12 and was leading in 13 at 6.40 pm. The Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) won one seat each.
In Andhra Pradesh, the YSR Congress is leading in 23 of 25 seats, while the Telugu Desam Party is ahead in three. In Kerala, the Congress-led United Democratic Front is leading in 18 of 20 seats, while the Left Democratic Front is ahead in two seats. In Telangana, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi and its ally All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen are ahead in 10 seats, the BJP in 4 and Congress in 3.
Assembly elections
Biju Janata Dal chief Naveen Patnaik looks set for a fifth straight term as the Odisha chief minister, with his party maintaining its dominant position in the state Assembly polls. Leads show the BJD ahead in 104 seats, the BJP in 25 seats and the Congress in 17, according to NDTV.
In Andhra Pradesh, the YSR Congress Party appears to be heading for a landslide. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s party is leading in 149 out of 175 seats. Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party is far behind with 29 seats.
The Pema Khandu-led Bharatiya Janata Party is leading in 10 seats and had won 15 in Arunachal Pradesh. The Congress has won three seats, the Janata Dal (United) has won three and is ahead in two seats, Independents have won one seat and are leading in another, and the People’s Party of Arunachal is leading in one seat, the Election Commission said.
In Sikkim, The Sikkim Krantikari Morcha is leading in 10 seats and had won in three. The ruling Sikkim Democratic Front is trailing, with leads in four seats and victories in five, the Election Commission’s website said. Pawan Kumar Chamling will be denied a sixth straight term as chief minister if the SDF loses the polls.
Sensex touches new high
Indian markets opened on a high note following the early trends. The Sensex opened almost 600 points high and hit a record high of 40,109 in morning trade. The NSE Nifty reached a high of 12,035. But the markets then cooled off. The Sensex closed nearly 300 points lower at 38,811.39, while the Nifty was about 81 points lower at 11,657.05.
Final tally expected later
More than 4,000 counting centres are involved in the counting exercise. Election Commission officials have said results are only expected by the evening as the poll panel will tally the vote count on Electronic Voting Machines with Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail slips in five polling stations in each Assembly segment of a parliamentary constituency. This is a first for Lok Sabha elections. This exercise is expected to take an additional four to five hours, EC officials said, according to PTI.
On Wednesday, the Centre had directed states and the Union Territories to remain alert and watch for violence on counting day.
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