Assembly election: EC rejects TMC request for recount in Nandigram; Assam Congress chief quits

Here are the day’s updates:

12.29 am: Here are the latest wins and trends in the three states of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Assam.

12.27 am: The results of all 30 seats in Puducherry have been declared.

11.50 pm: The results of all 140 seats in Kerala have been declared.

11 pm: Mamata Banerjee loses to former aide and TMC turncoat Suvendhu Adhikari by 1,956 votes in Nandigram.

10.48 pm: In Kerala, the Communist Party of India has won 15 seats, and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has secured 56 constituencies. The Congress has been declared a winner in 19 seats while the Indian Union Muslim League has won 15 constituencies.

10.45 pm: In Puducherry, the All India NR Congress has been declared a winner in 10 seats, the BJP has secured five constituencies. The DMK also is the victor in five seats and two seats have gone to the Congress, according to EC data.

10.42 pm: In Tamil Nadu, the DMK has won in 37 seats, and the AIADMK in 12 constituencies. The Congress has secured two seats while the BJP has not won any seat.

10.40 pm: In Assam, the All India United Democratic Front wins in 7 seats, the Asom Gana Parishad in eight, the BJP secures 38 constituencies and three go to the Bodoland Peoples Front, according to EC data. The Congress has won 16 seats.

10.38 pm: In West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress wins in 175 seats, the BJP secures 46 and one seat goes to the Independents.

10.30 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweets: “I thank the people of Puducherry for blessing NDA. We are humbled to serve the people and fulfil their dreams. Our Karyakartas made outstanding efforts to work among the people and elaborate on our agenda of good governance.”

10.22 pm: The Election Commission has rejected the Trinamool Congress’ request for a recount, reports NDTV.

10.17 pm: The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee President Ripun Bora steps aside from his position, reports Guwahati Plus. “However, I pledge to continue my fight as a dedicated congressman to uphold the ideology and values of Indian National Congress,” he adds. “Madam, I shall be ever grateful to you for assigning me with such a great responsibility of President Assam PCC to serve my party.”

10 pm: Congress Assam president Ripun Bora resigns after poll debacle, reports PTI.

9.55 pm: Congress chief Sonia Gandhi has congratulated West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and DMK chief MK Stalin for winning the elections, reports ANI.

8.52 pm: A three member Trinamool Congress delegation is meeting chief electoral officer in Kolkata to seek recount in Nandigram, reports India Today. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee contested against Bharatiya Janata Party candidate and Trinamool Congress turncoat Suvendu Adhikari in Nandigram.

It is not yet clear if the Trinamool Congress chief has lost to Adhikari. Some reports said Adhikari has been declared winner by a margin of 1,736 votes.

8.48 pm: Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala wins the Haripad Assembly constituency in Kerala by over 12,805 votes.

8.44 pm: West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar says he congratulated Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for winning a third consecutive term in Assembly elections. “Tomorrow at 7 pm, the chief minister will be calling on me at Raj Bhawan,” Dhankar tweets.

8.11 pm: BJP’s “metro man” E Sreedharan loses to Congress leader Shafi Parambil in Palakkad constituency of Kerala by a margin of 3,859 votes.

8.00 pm: Here’s the status of political parties in all 140 seats of Kerala:

7.57 pm: The trends for all the 234 constituencies in Tamil Nadu are out. Take a look:

7.55 pm: Here are the trends for all the 292 constituencies of West Bengal

7.45 pm: Modi also congratulates DMK chief MK Stalin and Pinarayi Vijayan for their win in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, respectively.

7.44 pm: The prime minister thanks all the BJP workers in West Bengal for their efforts. “From a negligible presence earlier, BJP’s presence has significantly increased,” he writes. “The BJP will keep serving the people. I applaud each and every Karyakarta [worker] for their spirited effort in the polls.”

7.42 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulates West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her resounding victory in the state. He says his government at the Centre will continue to extend support to the Bengal government.

7.39 pm: Ghosh adds that the BJP had not expected such results in the election. “We couldn’t achieve our target, but still we have improved our position,” he tells PTI. “It seems that people didn’t repose faith in those leaders who switched from TMC to BJP.”

7.26 pm: Bharatiya Janata Party’s West Bengal unit President Dilip Ghosh says he “humbly accepts the mandate of the people of West Bengal” and would “play role of constructive opposition” in the future, reports PTI.

7.20 pm: Amid confusion over the results of Nandigram, the Trinamool Congress says that counting of votes is still underway in the constituency.

7.17 pm: Tharoor also expresses his disappointment at the Congress’ performance in Kerala. However, he lauds the efforts made by all the party workers.

“You fought a good fight,” he says. “The energy and commitment I’ve seen from you is the party’s greatest strength. We must not be disheartened. There is work ahead to renew and revive our party, and to serve the people.”

7.15 pm: Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor congratulates Mamata Banerjee, calling her win against the BJP a “victory over the forces of communalism and intolerance”.

“The BJP has met its match in Bengal, and lost,” he writes.

7.14 pm: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wins from Dharmadam constituency with a margin of 50,123 votes

7.12 pm: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee goes to offer prayers at a temple after her landslide victory in the Assembly elections.

7.07 pm: An office of the BJP was set ablaze in West Bengal’s Arambagh town by unidentified miscreants. The saffron party accuses the Trinamool Congress for the attack.

7.05 pm: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray congratulates Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee for single-handedly leading her party to victory in the West Bengal Assembly polls, reports PTI. The TMC is leading in over 200 of the 292 seats that went to polls in the eastern state.

In a statement, Thackeray says Banerjee led the fight for Bengal’s self respect, adding that “all credit goes to the Bengal tigress for the win”.

6.40 pm: Rahul Gandhi says the Congress humbly accepts the people’s mandate. “We will continue to fight for our values and ideal,” he adds.

6.38 pm: BJP leader Sambit Patra alleges that TMC workers are attacking BJP offices in West Bengal after winning the elections, reports ANI.

6.25 pm: Banerjee calls Nandigram “a sacrifice that had to be made”, but doesn’t confirm whether she has lost from the constituency, reports NDTV. “I accept the verdict of people of Nandigram,” she adds.

6.24 pm: Mamata Banerjee says she will move the court against the Election Commission, reports News18. “I have been told that there has been a mischief that has been created in Nandigram,” she says. “I will go to court.”

6.19 pm: “This is a victory for Bengal, victory for its people and a victory for democracy,” Banerjee says.

6.18 pm: Banerjee adds that her swearing-in ceremony will be a small affair, given the worsening Covid situation in Bengal.

6.15 pm: Mamata Banerjee accuses the Election Commission of siding with the BJP. “The way they functioned, my god, they were acting like the spokesperson of the BJP.”

6.14 pm: The TMC leader demands free vaccines for the people of West Bengal from the Centre.

6.13 pm: “Bengal saved the government,” Banerjee adds.

6.11 pm: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is addressing the media after her party swept the Assembly elections. “People of Bengal won, this is everyone’s victory,” she says. However, she onces again urges her supporters to refrain from taking out victory processions in view of the Covid situation.

5.55 pm: As people of Assam give a clear mandate to the BJP government for the second time, it is evident that the contentious CAA, which had sparked massive protests in the state in 2019, did not have much impact on the way people voted. As Scroll.in reported earlier, economics, and not identity, seemed to have dominated election conversations.

Read more here:

In Assamese heartland, those who fought BJP’s citizenship law are now voting for ‘development’

5.45 pm: Communist Party of India(Marxist) leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan says the people’s mandate in Kerala proves that they are happy with the “pro-people policies” of the LDF government.

5.43 pm: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan says the state has given a verdict in favour of the LDF, reports ANI. “But this is not the time to celebrate as Covid continues to spread,” he adds. “This is the time to continue the fight against Covid-19.”

5.42 pm: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi congratulates DMK chief MK Stalin for winning in Tamil Nadu. Gandhi says the people of the state have voted for change.

5.39 pm: So far, the BJP has drawn a blank in Kerala, where the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF is set to make the government for another term.

5.37 pm: “Metro man” E Sreedharan is trailing behind Congress leader Shafi Parambil in Palakkad with a margin of about 2,300 votes.

5.26 pm: Banerjee adds that she will address the media shortly to announce her future plans, reports NDTV.

5.24 pm: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asks her supporters, who have gathered outside her residence, to follow all Covid protocols and not take out any victory processions in the state, reports NDTV. “For us, combating the Covid situation will be the topmost priority... This is victory of Bengal and only Bengal can do it ,” she adds.

5.22 pm: Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma wins from the Jalukbari constituency for the fifth consecutive term.

4.53 pm: In Puducherry, former Congress leader A John Kumar, who joined the BJP ahead of the elections, wins from Kamaraj Nagar constituency with over 7,000 votes.

4.48 pm: Here are the latest trends for West Bengal

4.27 pm: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wins from Nandigram, defeating her former aide and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, reports NDTV.

4.23 pm: BJP leader Mukul Roy wins from Krishnanagar Uttar constituency with 41,952 votes.

4.18 pm: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut says that TMC chief Mamata Banerjee has shown that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are not invincible, and that they too can be defeated, reports ANI.

4.17 pm: The defence minister also congratulates Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal for winning a second term in the state.

4.15 pm: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulates Opposition leaders Mamata Banerjee, MK Stalin and Pinarayi Vijayan for winning in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, respectively.

4.12 pm: BJP workers in Assam celebrate their party’s victory in the state elections.

4.07 pm: Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja says the LDF had always been confident of a victory. “We are ready for a second term,” she says.

4.02 pm: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and BJP’s state President L Murugan are leading from Edappadi and Dharapurm (reserved) constituencies, respectively.

3.58 pm: In Tamil Nadu, the DMK-led front crosses the majority mark with leads in 137 seats, shows data from the Election Commission.

3.53 pm: Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja wins from the Mattannur constituency with 51,639 votes.

3.47 pm: Political strategist Prashant Kishor says today’s election results will not impact the BJP’s popularity at the national level “and not even in Bengal”, reports India Today.

3.42 pm: In Nandigram, the epicentre of the Bengal elections, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari is leading over Mamta Banerjee with a small margin of six votes, reports Anandabazar.com

3.40 pm: BJP’s “metro man” E Sreedharan is trailing behind Congress’ Shafi Parambil by 2,687 votes.

3.35 pm: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah congratulates Pinarayi Vijayan for an “emphatic victory” in Kerala.

3.25 pm: Earlier today, an unused electronic voting machine, or an EVM was found in the premises of a counting centre in Assam, reports PTI. District Election Officer Megh Nidhi Dahal along with returning officers reached the centre enquire about the machine. Contesting candidates too reached the spot.

On investigation, it was found that the unused EVM which had been kept in reserve on polling day, had inadvertently found its way to the counting venue. Officials said no votes had been polled on the machine.

3.21 pm: Bharatiya Janata Party National General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya says, “Looks like people of West Bengal want Mamata Banerjee as chief minister,” reports The Hindu.

The BJP leader adds that his party will instropect “what went wrong, whether it was organisational issues, lack of face [of a chief ministerial candidate] ot the insider- outsider debate”.

3.17 pm: DMK chief MK Stalin instructs his party workers and office-bearers not to leave the counting centres till the counting of votes polled in the Assembly elections was completed, reports The Hindu.

3.13 pm: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is leading from the Dharmadam constituency with 41,873 votes.

3.11 pm: Here are the trends for Tamil Nadu:

3.09 pm: Below are the trends for West Bengal as per the Election Commission at 3.08 pm.

3.06 pm: Political strategist Prashant Kishor tells NDTV he will quit from his job after this election.

2.46 pm: Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja, who is leading in Mattannur constituency, reminds everyone to follow all Covid-related protocols and watch the LDF’s victory from their homes.

2.42 pm: A police personnel in Bengal tries to control TMC workers who are out on the road celebrating their party’s victory.

2.37 pm: Trinamool Youth Congress leader Sayan Deb Chatterjee says that the party workers can’t help but break into celebrations over the Bengal election results, reports ANI. “Our workers were under pressure,” he says. “This mandate has given them energy. Still, we are telling them not to celebrate due to the Covid situation.”

2.35 pm: Political strategist Prashant Kishore to NDTV as the TMC inches closer to a win in Bengal:

2.32 pm: Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien puts out a cryptic little tweet replete with emojis to express happiness over his party’s performance.

2.28 pm: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti congratulates Mamata Banerjee on her “splendid victory”.

2.25 pm: Kishor alleges the Election Commission was functioning as an “extension of the BJP”. “They have been completely partial to the ruling party [at the Centre],” he says.

2.22 pm: Kishor says that while he takes cognisance of the “strength of the BJP”, the huge popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not mean his party will win every election.

2.21 pm: Prashant Kishor tells NDTV that the BJP was just trying to “build this massive propaganda” that they are winning in Bengal. “That said, however, BJP will continue to remain a formidable force here,” he adds.

2.18 pm: Kishor adds that this election has shown how the people of Bengal still had faith in Mamata Banerjee’s leadership.

2.15 pm: Political strategist Prashant Kishor, who had prophesied that the BJP will “struggle to cross double digits” in the West Bengal, tells NDTV he had always been confident that the Trinamool Congress will be able to win the election, despite the saffron party’s concerted efforts.

2.05 pm: As Mamata Banerjee looks to be on her way to a landslide victory in West Bengal, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav sends his “hearty congratulations” to the TMC leader for “defeating the politics of hate of BJP in Bengal”.

2.02 pm: Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Amit Malviya tells India Today that his party is not “conceding defeat just yet” in West Bengal.

2 pm: In Tamil Nadu, DMK supporters continue with their celebrations outside the party, even as the Election Commission issues a warning against victory processions.

1.56 pm: After Sharad Pawar, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also congratulates Mamata Banerjee for her “landslide victory”.

“What a fight!” he writes.

1.47 pm: Jailed peasant activist Akhil Gogoi is leading from the Sivasagar constituency by 3,524 votes. Gogoi’s Raijor Dal is contesting the election in alliance with the Assam Jatiya Parishad as a combined anti-CAA forum against the BJP.

1.45 pm: Communist Party of India(Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury says that the people of Kerala have reposed faith in LDF in an “unprecedented manner”, reports The Hindu. He adds that the state has a crucial role to play in defending the constitutional values and upholding federalism. “I salute the people of Kerala”, he says.

1.39 pm: Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar congratulates TMC leader Mamata Banerjee for her “stupendous victory”, as she establishes a strong lead ahead of the BJP.

1.33 pm: TMC candidate Firhad Hakim says Left has vanished from Bengal for its own wrong policies.

1.23 pm: The Election Commission takes note of crowds gathered to celebrate victory. It directs chief secretaries of all four states and Puducherry to file FIRs in each such case, reports Hindustan Times.

1.15 pm: BJP’s Himanta Biswa Sarma leading from Jalukbari, Assam.

12.57 pm: According to Election Commission, the TMC is leading is 202 seats and BJP in 77.

12.47 pm: The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Sunday afternoon had a significant lead against other political parties in the state, showed the Election Commission’s data. As of 12.20 pm, the Election Commission’s early trends showed that the DMK was leading in 117 seats and the incumbent All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam was ahead in 79. The AIADMK’s ally, Bharatiya Janata Party, was leading in four seats.

Also read

Tamil Nadu polls: DMK gains major lead against AIADMK, its allies, MK Stalin ahead in Kolathur

12.45 pm: DMK supporters celebrate outside party headquarters in Chennai.

12.42 pm: TMC supporters celebrate in Asansol.

12.30 pm: The Left Democratic Front was leading in the Kerala Assembly polls and has crossed the majority mark, early trends from the Election Commission showed.

As of 11.55 am, the Left Democratic Front was leading in 85 seats, while the United Democratic Front was ahead in 44. The National Democratic Alliance was leading in three seats, all by the Bharatiya Janata Party candidates. Independent candidates were leading in seven seats.

Also read

Kerala polls: LDF crosses halfway mark, Pinarayi Vijayan leading in Haripad seat, shows early trends

12.25 pm: TMC supporters celebrate in Kolkata.

12.23 pm: Below are the trends as per the Election Commission at 12.20 pm.

12.02 pm: DMK President MK Stalin leads in Kolathur Assembly constituency.

11.42 am: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is leading in Dharmadam Assembly constituency.

11.41 am: TMC candidates Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay and Firhad Hakim leading from Bhabanipur and Kolkata Port seats, respectively, according to initial trends.

11.40 am: DMK workers and supporters celebrate outside the party headquarters in Chennai.

11.37 am: Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal says from early trends it is clear that the Bharatiya Janata Party will form the government in the state.

11.35 am: In Bengal, the ruling TMC is leading in 187 seats and the BJP is ahead in 85.

11.25 am: The Election Commission’s early trends in the West Bengal Assembly polls shows that the Trinamool Congress had gained a major lead against other parties on Sunday morning. As of 11.10 am, the Election Commission’s data showed that the Mamata Banerjee-led party was ahead in 172 seats while the Bharatiya Janata Party was leading in 87.

Also read

Bengal polls: TMC crosses majority mark, Mamata Banerjee trailing in Nandigram, shows early trends

11.18 am: Congress’ Ramesh Chennithala is leading from Haripad constituency in Kerala.

11.16 am: BJP General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya says the initial trends are “not the real indicator of the final outcome”, reports PTI. He adds: “We will cross the magic figure by evening. I am sure that we will form the next government in Bengal.”

11.14 am: The TMC is leading in 172 seats and BJP in 87.

11.06 am: The DMK is leading in 128 seats, AIADMK in 71 in Tamil Nadu.

10.59 am: Kamal Haasan is leading in Coimbatore (South) seat.

10.57 am: In Tamil Nadu, the DMK and Congress are ahead in 98 seats and the ruling AIADMK and its ally BJP are leading in 79.

10.54 am: According to the Election Commission, the TMC is leading in 149 seats and BJP in 70.

10.32 am: “Metro man” E Sreedharan, the BJP candidate from Kerala’ Palakkad, is leading.

10.31 am: In West Bengal, BJP’s Babul Supriyo is trailing in Tollygunge.

10.30 am: In Kerala, BJP’s Kummanam Rajasekharan is leading from Nemom.

10.25 am: In West Bengal, the TMC is ahead in 101 seats while BJP is leading in 53, according to the Election Commission.

10.20 am: Mamata Banerjee is trailing behind Suvendu Adhikari in Nandigram.

10.15 am: The TMC is now leading in 75 seats and BJP is ahead in 43, according to the Election Commission.

10.10 am: In West Bengal, the TMC is ahead in 68 seats while the BJP is ahead in 36, show EC’s latest trends.

10.08 am: In Kerala, the Left is leading right now.

10.07 am: In Tamil Nadu, the ruling AIADMK and its ally BJP are leading in 47 seats while DMK and its ally Congress are ahead in 49 seats.

10.06 am: The Election Commission’s trends at 10 am for Assam show the BJP is leading in 18 seats, its ally Asom Gana Parishad in six. The Congress is ahead in 5 seats and its ally AIUDF in one seat.

10.04 am: In Puducherry, AINRC chief N Rangaswamy is leading, according to NDTV.

10.03 am: Outgoing Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal is leading in Majuli.

10.02 am: Former Kerala CM and Congress candidate Oommen Chandy is leading from Puthuppally.

9.53 am: EC’s trends from Bengal. TMC ahead in 40 seats, BJP in 23.

9.38 am: DMK candidate from Chepauk Assembly constituency Udhayanidhi Stalin arrives at Queen Mary’s College in Chennai.

9.36 am: In West Bengal, the Election Commission’s early trends show the TMC is ahead in 9 seats while the BJP is leading in 3.

9.35 am: Tamil Nadu is witnessing a close fight. According to the Election Commission, the ruling AIADMK is ahead in 8 seats while MK Stalin-led DMK is leading in 7.

9.34 am: According to the Election Commission, the CPI(M) is ahead in 10 seats in Kerala while Congress is leading in six.

9.32 am: Early trends from Assam, according to the Election Commission.

8.51 am: Early trends show LDF leading in Kerala, according to NDTV.

8.50 am: Visuals from a counting centre in Haldia, East Midnapore.

8.38 am: Visuals from a counting centre in Idukki, Kerala.

8.35 am: The All India NR Congress was ahead in three seats in Puducherry, while the Congress was leading in one, early trends by NDTV showed.

8.29 am: In Tamil Nadu, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam alliance was ahead in four seats, while the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam coalition was leading in nine early trends by NDTV showed. The Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam is yet to gain hold anywhere.

8.24 am: Early trends on NDTV showed that the Bharatiya Janata Party was ahead in eight seats in Assam, while the Congress was leading in four.

8.22 am: In West Bengal, the Bharatiya Janata Party was leading in 19 seats, closely followed by the Trinamool Congress in 17, according to early trends by NDTV.

8.18 am: Early trends published by NDTV shows the Congress was leading in 12 seats, while the Left Democratic Front was ahead on 10.

8.02 am: Counting of votes begins.

7.58 am: Elections in Assam this year was the first after the fierce protests against the new citizenship law across the country, which first began in the state. But the reason for the demonstrations in the state were entirely different from the rest of the country.

Preview: Exit polls predict BJP will win in Assam, but will anti-CAA sentiment impact votes?

7.30 am: Visuals from Kolkata and Siliguri.

7.19 am: For the Bharatiya Janata Party, a victory in West Bengal will bring it closer to its ‘one-party’ ambition. For Mamata Banerjee, this could be a chance to emerge as a national leader.

Preview: With India’s longest ever election over, it’s a tight race between BJP and TMC in Bengal

7.18 am: Visuals from Guwahati.

7.15 am: With the demise of J Jayalalithaa and MK Karunanidhi, who dominated the political space in Tamil Nadu for decades, it is now up to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami or DMK Chief MK Stalin to take control and prove their worth.

Preview: In Tamil Nadu, AIADMK seeks to continue winning streak even as exit polls predict a DMK win

7.14 am: Since 1983, voters in Kerala have alternated their mandate between the Left Democratic Front alliance and the Congress-led United Democratic Front every five years.

Preview: ‘Captain’ Pinarayi Vijayan likely to lead Kerala again, BJP vote share matter of interest

7.13 am: Puducherry was the last Congress bastion in the South until earlier this year, when a spate of resignations led to the fall of the V Narayanasamy-led government. The Congress hopes to regain its foothold, while the All India NR Congress aims to ride the anti-incumbency wave and come back to power.

Preview: Will Congress regain Puducherry, its last bastion in South, or will AINRC make a comeback?

7.11 am: Bharatiya Janata Party Assam unit chief Ranjeet Kumar Dass has claimed that the party and its allies will 83 seats, reports NDTV. The majority mark in the state is 64.

6.45 am: Visuals from outside a counting centre in Chennai.

Overview of poll-bound states and Puducherry

• West Bengal: Elections in West Bengal took place in eight phases, beginning on March 27. The last phase was held on April 29. There are 294 seats and the majority mark is 148. There are three major fronts in the polls – one led by the Trinamool Congress, another by the Bharatiya Janata Party and the third comprising the Congress, Left parties and other smaller parties. Multiple exit polls have predicted that the Trinamool Congress is likely to return to power in the state.
• Tamil Nadu: The elections to the 234 seats in the Tamil Nadu Assembly took place in a single phase on April 6. The majority mark is 118. The main contest is between the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. While the Congress is in alliance with the DMK, the Bharatiya Janata Party has joined hands with the AIADMK for the polls. Exit polls predict that MK Stalin-led DMK will wrest control in the state.
• Kerala: Kerala voted in a single phase on April 6 to choose legislators for 140 seats of the state legislative Assembly. The majority mark is 71. The Left Democratic Front, the ruling party in the state led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), is looking to remain in power. The United Democratic Front, led by the Congress, seeks to wrest control. The National Democratic Alliance is posing as the third front and is led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, which wants to make inroads in the state. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is expected to retain power for a second successive term, according to many exit polls.
• Assam: Elections to the 126-member Assam Assembly took place in three phases. The majority mark is 64. The Bharatiya Janata Party, the ruling party in the state, is contesting the polls in alliance with the Asom Gana Parishad and the United People’s Party Liberal. The Opposition coalition comprises the Congress, the All India United Democratic Front and Left parties. Multiple exit polls have projected a win for the BJP.
• Puducherry: The Union Territory went to polls in a single phase on April 6. Puducherry has 33 seats but three are nominated by the lieutenant governor. The majority mark is 17. The Secular Democratic Alliance is led by the Congress and comprises Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and the Communist Party of India. The National Democratic Alliance is led by the All Indian NR Congress and comprises the Bharatiya Janata Party and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. Exit polls have predicted a win for the NDA.