Lucknow, India: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party won India's most populous state with a big majority, according to the count on Thursday of a state assembly vote that could offer clues to the national mood before a 2024 general election.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had won or was leading in 251 of the 403 seats in Uttar Pradesh, which it currently rules, according to the Election Commission of India. Final results are expected to be out in a few hours but unlikely to change much. Party workers in the state staged impromptu rallies to celebrate and smeared each other in the BJP's saffron colours.
Uttar Pradesh is home to about a fifth of India's 1.35 billion people and sends the most legislators to parliament of any state.
The victory in the northern state has come despite the state and federal government's much-criticised handling of COVID-19, lack of jobs and anger over farm reforms that Modi cancelled last year after protests.
Latest Updates:
Uttar Pradesh: Yogi Adityanath breaks 'Noida jinx'
After over three decades, Yogi Adityanath returned to power in Uttar Pradesh by breaking the 'Noida jinx', according to which any Chief Minister who visited the city loses power.
After becoming Chief Minister in 2017, Yogi Adityanath has visited Nodia multiple times to inaugurate, lay the foundation of several development projects and administrative work.
The Noida jinx was a talking point in the Uttar Pradesh power corridor after Chief Minister Veer Bahadur Singh had to step down in 1988 within a few days after his return from the city.
According to the latest trend, the BJP has won 21 and is leading in 231 assembly constituencies with 41.80 per cent vote share in Uttar Pradesh. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is leading from Gorakhpur Urban seat by over 90,000 votes.
Former Chief Ministers Kalyan Singh, Rajnath Singh and Mulayam Singh Yadav had avoided visiting Noida during their chief ministership. In recent times, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati visited Noida in 2007 after becoming chief minister and she lost the assembly polls in 2012. Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akshilesh Yadav also followed the trend during his five-year tenure from 2012.
During his visit to the city in January, Adityanath took a dig at Mayawati and Yadav by saying that power was more important for them so they were hesitant to visit Noida. When asked about the jinx, Noida MLA Pankaj Singh, who is currently leading, had said that Chief Minister Adityanath has personally taken care of development of the city and its people by visiting multiple times.
BJP set to return in Uttarakhand
The ruling BJP in Uttarakhand is leading in 44 constituencies but Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami who was earier trailing has narrowed down the margin in his constituency Khatima.
As per the latest Election Commission update at 1 p.m., the BJP is leading in 44 constituencies with 43.9 percent vote share while the principal opposition party Congress is leading in 23 seats with 39.3 per cent vote share. The Bahujan Samaj Party is now leading in only one seat with 4.64 per cent vote share while two independents are leading in Uttarakhand.
Till 1 p.m., Dhami got 17,071 votes with 45.43 per cent vote share and is trailing against his nearest rival Bhuwan Chandra Kapri of the Congress by 2,287 votes.
In Lalkuwa constituency, the former Chief Minister of the state and Congress candidate Harish Rawat is trailing against BJP's Dr Mohan Singh Bist with a margin of over 14,000 votes.
Till 1 p.m., Rawat got 24,745 votes with 33.62 per cent vote share while Bist got 39,638 votes with 51.77 per cent votes.
BJP likely to retain power in Goa
As the BJP has won eight seats and is leading on 12 seats in the 40-member assembly in Goa, BJP leader and Goa election in-charge Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said that Goans have shown faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"The people of Goa have given us a clear majority. We will get 20 seats or even 1-2 seats more. People have shown faith in PM Modi", said Fadnavis.
Exuding confidence in forming a BJP government in Goa, Fadnavis said that Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) would also be allying with BJP in Goa along with other Independent candidates.
"Independent candidates are coming with us. MGP is also coming with us and taking all together, we will form our government", BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis.
In Goa, where predictions were for a hung assembly, due to a multi-cornered contest with parties including the BJP, Congress, Trinamool Congress, and AAP.
In 2017, Congress had emerged as the single largest party in the state, winning 17 seats but the BJP, which won 13 seats, managed to form the government with the support of the Goa Forward Party and the MGP which had won three seats each, and two independents.
BJP on course to retain power in Manipur
Bharatiya Janata Party is inching towards the majority mark with the incumbent party leading on 20 Assembly seats, the Election Commission data showed on Thursday afternoon.
As per the ECI data at 2 pm, the BJP is leading on 20 seats and trailing on one seat. Congress is leading on three seats, Janata Dal (United) is leading on two seats and trailing on three seats.
Further, parties namely Naga Peoples Front and National People's Party are leading on five seats each.
Chief Minister N Biren Singh is leading in Heingang assembly seat by 18,271 votes.
The BJP candidate Usham Deben Singh defeated Congress rival Md Fajur Rahman by a slender margin of 50 votes in the Wabgai constituency.
The JD(U) is leading on three seats.
Notably, JD(U) won a seat in Manipur after 22 years with candidate Ngursanglur Sanate by defeating BJP's Chalton Lien Amo in Tipaimukh seat.
The BJP's Thokchom Satyabrata has won from the Yaiskul seat.
The election results for 60 Assembly seats in Manipur will be declared today. Exit polls had predicted BJP to have an edge over rivals in Manipur.
As counting is underway, proper security measures have been taken including the imposition of Section 144 CrPC around the counting centres to ensure that peace and tranquillity are not disturbed and counting of votes is conducted smoothly, the Chief Electoral Officer, Manipur informed.
Massive win for AAP in Punjab
The first regional party that has won outside its state of origin, Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is set to foray into national politics.
The landslide win in Punjab has positioned AAP in direct competition to the nation's grand old party, the Congress.
In the five-state Assembly polls, which were regarded as a kind of semi-final, the Congress has been decimated. After the loss in Punjab, Congress is left with only two states -- Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.
Arvind Kejriwal, while addressing the party workers at the party office in Delhi on Thursday after the results, said that this was a stamp on honest politics and "Bhagat Singh said that the system has to be changed and the people of Punjab have changed the system."
The party has often made a mention of its national ambition, and has fielded candidates in several states. With the Punjab win, the ambition finally seems to be taking shape.
The elated party workers say that Kejriwal will be the Prime Ministerial candidate in future as an alternative to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Kejriwal shares a good rapport with non-BJP leaders, including Mamata Banerjee, Sharad Pawar and Akhilesh Yadav. He may become a joint opposition candidate at the cost of Congress in view of the latter's continued downslide since 2014.
AAP's Punjab in-charge Raghav Chaddha said that the BJP took 10 years to form its government in a state, but AAP has expanded its base to second state in Punjab and in both the states the AAP has got landslide victory.
Apart from Punjab, AAP has performed well in Goa where it secured around 4 per cent votes.
