Ministers make hay riding on Modi wave
New Delhi: Riding the Modi wave, a record number of Union Ministers marched to Lok Sabha, although former bureaucrats and senior cabinet ministers Hardeep Puri and KJ Alphons failed to make it. Among thos who have so far emerged victorious or are ahead by huge margins are Textile Minister Smriti Irani, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Maneka Gandhi, Jual Oram, Sadanand Gowda, Shripad Yesso Naik, Jitendra Singh, Rao Inderjeet Singh and Narendra Singh Tomar (Morena).
Saffron surge stuns TMC in West Bengal
Kolkata: Bengal witnessed a saffron surge Thursday as the BJP inflicted a deadly blow to state’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) by winning 16 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state and leading in two other, the results of which are to come Friday. TMC won 19 seats and was leading in three others till last reports came in.
The saffron party was giving the TMC a run for its money even in terms of vote share having polled 40.25 per cent of votes counted so far. The TMC has clinched 43.28 per cent. In the 2014 elections, the BJP’s vote share was close to 10%.
Cakewalk for Akhilesh at Azamgarh
Lucknow: Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav won from the Azamgarh seat, defeating Bhojpuri star and BJP candidate Dinesh Lal Yadav ‘Nirahua’ by over 2.59 lakh votes. While the SP chief got 6,21578 votes, Nirahua received 3,61,704 votes. In 2014, the seat was won by SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Azam Khan trounces Jaya Prada
Lucknow: Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan won the Rampur seat, defeating BJP candidate Jaya Prada by a margin of 1,09,997 votes. While Khan secured 5,59,177 votes, Jaya Prada got 4,49,180 votes. Congress candidate Sanjay Kapoor got only 35,009 votes. In 2014, BJP’s Nepal Singh had won the Rampur seat.
Former minister loses
Amaravati: Former Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju (TDP) was defeated in Vijayanagaram Lok Sabha constituency by a margin of over 48,000 votes by YSRC candidate V Chandrasekhar, according to the Election Commission. Chandrasekhar polled 5,78,418 votes while Raju got 5,30,382 votes, said the Election Commission.
Hat-trick of wins for Tharoor
Thiruvananthapuram: Former Union Minister and Congress sitting MP, Shashi Tharoor has won the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat, which witnessed a tight contest between the ruling LDF, Opposition UDF and the BJP, by a margin of nearly one lakh votes. It was his third successive victory from the constituency. In a tight rope race, Tharoor managed to defeat his main rival and BJP-NDA candidate Kummanam Rajashekharan by a margin of nearly one lakh votes. Ruling LDF’s candidate and CPI MLA, C Divakaran could secure only 2.58 lakh votes.
Mulayam holds his own in Manipuri
Lucknow: Samajawadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav has won the Mainpuri seat by defeating his BJP candidate Prem Singh Shakya by a margin of 94,389 votes, the Election Commission’s website said. While Yadav polled 5,24926 votes, his rival Shakya received 4,30,537 votes. In 2014, the seat was won by SP’s Tej Pratap Yadav.
Former minister Raju loses
Amaravati: Former Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju (TDP) was defeated in Vijayanagaram Lok Sabha constituency by a margin of over 48,000 votes by YSRC candidate V Chandrasekhar, according to the Election Commission. Chandrasekhar polled 5,78,418 votes while Raju got 5,30,382 votes.
Hat-trick of triumphs for Tharoor
Thiruvananthapuram: Former Union Minister and Congress sitting MP, Shashi Tharoor won the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat, which witnessed a tight contest between the ruling LDF, Opposition UDF and the BJP, by a margin of nearly one lakh votes. This was Tharoor’s third successive success from the constituency. In a tight rope race, Tharoor managed to defeat his main rival and BJP-NDA candidate Kummanam Rajashekharan by a margin of nearly one lakh votes. LDF’s candidate and CPI MLA, C Divakaran could secure only 2.58 lakh votes.
Mulayam wins in Manipuri
Lucknow: Samajawadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav has won the Mainpuri seat by defeating his BJP candidate Prem Singh Shakya by a margin of over 94,389 votes. While Yadav polled 5,24926 votes, his rival Shakya received 4,30,537 votes. In 2014, the seat was won by SP’s Tej Pratap Yadav.
Oath-taking function of new government likely, May 29
New Delhi: The BJP parliamentary board Thursday passed a resolution hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and thanking people for endorsing the party’s agenda.
BJP halt TRS juggernaut in Telengana
Hyderabad: The ruling Telengana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) suffered a setback in the Lok Sabha elections in Telangana, winning lower-than-expected nine seats as a resurgent BJP sprang a surprise emerging victorious in four constituencies Thursday. The Congress also put up a decent show, securing three seats in the state which has 17 constituencies.
Congratulations pour in after Modi triumph
US President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan were among dozens of world leaders who congratulated Thursday Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his impressive victory in the general elections as they vowed to work with him to bolster the bilateral ties. Here’s what they said.
YSR Congress on course for landslide victory in AP
Amaravati: The YSR Congress virtually decimated Thursday the Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP and appeared on course for a landslide win in Andhra Pradesh with its candidates winning in 74 seats and leading in 76 others.
Pragya trounces Digvijay Singh
Bhopal: BJP candidate Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur trounced Congress stalwart Digvijay Singh by a huge margin of 3,64,822 votes in the Bhopal Lok Sabha seat. With this win Thursday, BJP has retained the high profile seat, which it has been winning since 1989.
Rahul saves face at Wayanad
Thiruvananthapuram: Congress president Rahul Gandhi was Thursday declared elected from the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala. Rahul, who contested from Wayanad besides Amethi, where he conceded defeat, defeated his nearest CPI candidate PP Suneer by a margin of over 4.31 lakh votes, according to the Election Commission website. Rahul’s winning margin was a state record. The BJP-led NDA candidate Thushar Vellapally, who is also state NDA chairman, came a poor third, polling about 78,000 votes.
Prasad defeats turncoat Shatrughan
Patna: Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad retained the Patna Sahib seat for the BJP, defeating Thursday sitting MP Shatrughan Sinha in fray on a Congress ticket by a margin of 2.84 lakh votes. Prasad, who is a member of the Rajya Sabha, polled a whopping 61.85 per cent of the total votes in the constituency, which comprises the entire state capital besides a couple of Assembly segments on the outskirts. Sinha, who had won the seat in 2009 and 2014, had joined Congress a month ago, after being denied a BJP ticket.
Easy for DMK’s Kanimozhi
Chennai: DMK leader Kanimozhi, daughter of the late party patriarch M Karunadhi won the Thoothukudi Lok Sabha constituency by defeating BJP leader and Tamil Nadu unit president Tamilisai Soundararajan by a margin of 3.47 lakh votes. Kanimozhi the sister of DMK chief MK Stalin, is currently a Rajya Sabha MP, and is the party’s eyes and ears in New Delhi.
UK lawmakers, industry body, hail Modi, BJP feat
London: The UK government Thursday welcomed India’s election results and the re-election of Narendra Modi as Prime Minister. UK foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt said he looked forward to visiting India soon as he congratulated Modi after an inspiring election campaign.
Hasina calls up Modi, leaders pledge to strengthen ties
Dhaka: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina telephoned Thursday her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to congratulate him on his victory in the general elections during which the two leaders pledged to raise the India-Bangladesh relationship to unprecedented new heights.
Mamata Banerjee has lost moral right to continue as CM: Dilip Ghosh
Kolkata: The Lok Sabha poll results have sounded the death knell for Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in West Bengal and Mamata Banerjee’s party has lost the moral right to continue in office, BJP’s state unit chief, Dilip Ghosh said Thursday.
Sule retains Baramati
Mumbai: Supriya Sule, daughter of NCP chief Sharad Pawar, retained the family bastion of Baramati in western Maharashtra by a margin of over 1.55 lakh votes. Sule polled 6,86,714 votes while her nearest rival Kanchan Kul of the BJP got 5,30,940 votes. Sule improved her victory margin this time. Last time she had won from Baramati by 69,719 votes against Mahadev Jankar of RSP.
Giant-killing act by Kaushik
Chandigarh: BJP’s sitting MP from Sonipat, Ramesh Chander Kaushik emerged as a giant-killer defeating Congress veteran and former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda by a margin of 1,64,864 votes. The loss of the 71-year-old leader from Sonipat dealt a big blow to the Congress in Haryana, where it faces a rout.
Chandrababu Naidu triumphs
Amaravati: Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu won the Kuppam Assembly seat by a margin of 30,722 votes against his YSR Congress rival K Chandramouli, the Election Commission announced Thursday night. In 2014, his margin of victory against the same rival was 47,121 votes. Naidu bagged 1,00,146 votes of the total of 1,81,499 votes polled, while Chandramouli managed 69,424.
Maneka triumphs in Sultanpur
Lucknow: Union Minister Maneka Gandhi won Thursday from the Sultanpur Lok Sabha seat defeating her nearest rival BSP candidate Chandra Bhadra Singh Sonu by over 14,000 votes. While Maneka polled 4,59,196 votes, Sonu got 4,44,670 votes. Congress candidate Sanjay Singh got 41,681 votes. In 2014, the seat was won by BJP’s Varun Gandhi.
Maiden victory for Sunny Deol
Chandigarh: Actor and BJP candidate Sunny Deol won his electoral debut Thursday by defeating Congress heavyweight and sitting MP Sunil Jakhar from the Gurdaspur constituency. Deol defeated Punjab Congress chief Jakhar by a margin of 82,459 votes, the Election Commission’s website said.
Easy victory for Rao Inderjit Singh
Chandigarh: Union Minister and sitting MP Rao Inderjit Singh Thursday won from the Gurgaon parliamentary constituency defeating his nearest Congress rival Ajay Singh Yadav, a former six-time MLA from Rewari, by a margin of 3,86,256 votes.
Owaisi retains Hyderabad seat
Hyderabad: The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi won the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat for the fourth consecutive term Thursday. He defeated J Bhagavanth Rao of the BJP by over 2.82 lakh votes.
Rajnath Singh floors Poonam
Lucknow: Home Minister Rajnath Singh has retained the Lucknow seat by defeating his nearest rival Poonam Sinha by over 3.4 lakh votes. Singh defeated SP candidate Sinha by a margin of 3,47,302 votes, official sources said here. While Singh got 6,33,026 votes, Sinha got 2,85,724 votes. Congress candidate Pramod Krishnam got 1,80,011 votes only.
Victory for people desperate for honesty: Modi
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised Thursday to devote ‘every moment’ of his time and ‘every fibre’ of his being for the people of India and said the country will now have only two castes – the poor and those who want to alleviate poverty. In a rousing speech at the party headquarters here to celebrate the BJP’s spectacular victory, Modi told cheering supporters that the election has thrown up a mandate to build a new India.
Sonia Gandhi wins but margin falls
Lucknow: Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has won from the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat, defeating her nearest rival, BJP candidate Dinesh Pratap Singh by a margin of 1,67,178 votes, the Election Commission’s website said. While Sonia got 5,34,918 votes, Singh secured 3,67,740 votes. The SP and the BSP had supported her on this seat. In 2014, Sonia had won by a margin of 3,52,713 votes against BJP’s Ajay Agarwal.
Indo-American bodies rejoice Modi triumph
Washington: Indian-Americans from across the US celebrated Thursday the electoral victory of Prime Minister Narendra Modi by distributing ladoos and watching election results in movie theatres and restaurants.
Election ‘watch parties’ were held in restaurants and in homes where scores of Indian-Americans, along with their friends and families, gathered late Wednesday night to watch election results live either on Indian new channels or Facebook. The election results were shown live in at least two theatres, including one in Minneapolis.
Huge blow for JD(S) as Deve Gowda loses
Bangalore: In a big blow to the ruling coalition in Karnataka, JD(S) patriarch and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda was defeated in Tumkur constituency by his BJP rival by a margin of over 13,000 votes, the Election Commission said Thursday. GS Basavaraj secured 5,96,127 votes while Gowda got 5,82,788votes, according to the EC details.
Modi wins hands down in Lucknow
Lucknow: The BJP and its ally Apna Dal (S) consolidated Thursday their position in Uttar Pradesh by bagging four seats and leading in 59 others, according to the latest available trends. Prime Minister Narendra Modi won from Varanasi by defeating his nearest rival SP’s Shalini Yadav by a huge margin of 4,79,505 votes.
Rahul says issue of resignation between him and working committee
New Delhi: Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday took full responsibility for the defeat of the party in the Lok Sabha elections and said the issue of his resignation was a matter between him and the Congress Working Committee. “I accept full responsibility (for the party’s performance),” Gandhi said at a press conference here.
BJP set for repeat act in Rajasthan
Jaipur: The BJP is all set for a clean sweep in Rajasthan again with the party bagging six seats and leading in 18 others in the Lok Sabha election results declared Thursday, barely five months after it lost to the Congress in the Assembly polls.
Rahul, Priyanka concede defeat, congratulate Modi
New Delhi: Conceding defeat, Congress president Rahul Gandhi congratulated Thursday Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP for their landslide victory in the Lok Sabha polls, and said his party will continue to fight the ideological battle with the saffron party.
Yetchury takes full responsibility for CPIM’s ‘dismal’ show
New Delhi: CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury took responsibility Thursday for his party’s dismal performance in the Lok Sabha polls. He stated that as the chief of the party, he was the ‘first’ person who was accountable for its poor show.
Massive win for NC chief Farooq Abdullah
Srinagar: Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah won the election to the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency Thursday by trouncing his nearest rival by 70,050 votes, entering the lower house of Parliament for the fourth time.
Modi drops prefix ‘chowkidar’ from Twitter
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi removed the ‘chowkidar’ prefix from his Twitter handle but said the word remains an integral part of him.
Now, the time has come to take the Chowkidar Spirit to the next level.
Keep this spirit alive at every moment and continue working for India’s progress.
The word ‘Chowkidar’ goes from my Twitter name but it remains an integral part of me. Urging you all to do the same too!
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 23, 2019
Modi had added ‘chowkidar’ in his Twitter handle March 17, a day after launching the ‘Main Bhi Chowkidar’ (I am a watchman too) campaign on social media.
Modi tsunami floors all
New Delhi: Buoyed by phenomenal Lok Sabha poll verdict, senior BJP leaders, including Union Ministers as also NDA allies credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah for the superb showing. Many described the landslide victory as a ‘tsunami’ amid Modi’s assertion that ‘India has won again’.
Union Cabinet to meet Friday for dissolution of 16th Lok Sabha
New Delhi: The Union Cabinet will meet Friday evening to recommend the dissolution of the 16th Lok Sabha. After the Cabinet’s recommendation is passed in the form of a resolution, President Ram Nath Kovind will dissolve the present Lok Sabha, the term of which is ending, June 3. The 17th Lok Sabha has to be constituted before June 3 and the process to form a new House will be initiated when the three Election Commissioners meet the President in the next few days to hand over the list of newly-elected members.
‘Statistical wonder in Indian electoral history’
New Delhi: The BJP has repeated the near improbable feat of repeating its landslide victory in north and west India with its vote share jumping over 50 per cent in many states, as the party appears set to surpass its 2014 total of 282 Lok Sabha seats in this general election. Analysts have said that the success is nothing short of a statistical wonder in Indian electoral history.
Rahul heading towards record-breaking win at Wayanad
Kalpetta (Kerala): Congress president Rahul Gandhi is heading for a record-breaking margin against his nearest rival CPI’s PP Suneer in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency here Thursday, as roads in front of counting centres in this hill town wore a deserted look. As counting progressed, Gandhi established a lead of over three lakh votes, probably the biggest margin in the Lok Sabha elections in the Kerala.
Advani lauds Modi, Shah
New Delhi: Veteran BJP leader LK Advani congratulated Prime Narendra Modi for steering the ruling BJP towards an ‘unprecedented victory’ in the Lok Sabha polls. He also praised BJP chief Amit Shah for his efforts to ensure that the message of the party reached every voter. “Heartiest congratulations to Shri Narendrabhai Modi for steering the BJP towards this unprecedented victory in the elections. Shri Amitbhai Shah as the BJP president and all the dedicated workers of the party have put in enormous effort in making sure that the message of BJP reaches every voter of the country,” Advani said in a statement Thursday.
Congress, AAP routed in Delhi
New Delhi: Certain of clinching all the seven seats in the national capital, the BJP continued to dominate the trends with two of its candidates taking the lead by a margin of over 3.40 lakh votes while the Congress and AAP trailed at the second spot in five and two constituencies respectively. BJP went into celebratory mode with jubilant supporters of the saffron party starting to burst crackers and shouting slogans at various counting centres.
Saffron wave decimates Congress in MP
Bhopal: BJP’s controversial candidate Pragya Singh Thakur has established a lead of over two lakh votes against Congress’ Digvijay Singh in Bhopal, as the saffron party is ahead on 28 out of 29 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh and looks to sweep the mandate. Another Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia was trailing by 1,08,932 votes in his traditional Guna seat against BJP’s KP Yadav
Putin congratulates Modi
Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Thursday Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the convincing victory of the BJP in the Indian parliamentary elections and expressed his readiness to work together to build up the full range of bilateral relations. “I am convinced that, as the Prime Minister of India, you will further strengthen the centuries-old friendship between our peoples and the all-round development of a particularly privileged strategic partnership between Russia and India,” Putin said in a congratulatory message.
The Russian leader expressed his readiness to continue fruitful personal contacts with Prime Minister Modi and to work together to build up the full range of bilateral relations and constructive interaction in international affairs, the Kremlin said in a statement.
Win for India says Modi
New Delhi: With the BJP headed for a landslide victory in the Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Thursday India has won again and together with everyone, a strong and inclusive nation will be built. Riding on a massive Modi wave sweeping through most parts of India, the BJP was set to return to power as it led in over 300 seats while the Congress trailed far behind with about 50, according to trends released by the Election Commission for all 542 seats that went to polls. “With all+ development for all+ everybody’s confidence = victorious India,” Modi tweeted. “Together we grow. Together we prosper. Together we will build a strong and inclusive India. India wins yet again,” he said.
Mumbai celebrities hail Modi, BJP
Mumbai: Stars of the Hindi film industry including Asha Bhosle, Rajinikanth, Dharmendra and Ekta Kapoor have congratulated the ruling BJP for the Lok Sabha Polls result after current trends indicate a clean sweep for the party for a second consecutive term. This year, actors like Sunny Deol, Urmila Matondkar, Shatrughan Sinha and Prakash Raj among others contested polls. While Sunny, a BJP candidate from Gurdaspur is leading by over 82,000 votes, Urmila is trailing against BJP’s Gopal Shetty in Mumbai North.
BJP rules UP too, Rahul trails
Lucknow: The BJP and its ally Apna Dal (Sonelal) continued to march ahead of their rivals, leading in 59 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, according to the Election Commission trends at 1.00pm. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is leading in Varanasi by a huge margin of more than 2.19 lakh votes against Samajwadi Party’s (SP) Shalini Yadav – his nearest rival, the data showed. The BJP was ahead in 58 seats and the Apna Dal (S) in one. The opposition alliance of the Bahujan Samaj Party and the SP appeared to be doing well in 19 seats. In Congress bastion Amethi, party president Rahul Gandhi is trailing. Union Minister and BJP candidate Smriti Irani has a lead of over 2,600 votes against him.
Netanyahu congratulates PM Modi on election victory
Jerusalem (Israel): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday became the first world leader to congratulate his counterpart Narendra Modi for scripting an “impressive victory” in the general elections and vowed to strengthen their “great friendship” as well as bilateral ties.
Congratulations, my friend @Narendramodi, on your impressive election victory! The election results further reaffirm your leadership of the world's largest democracy. Together we will continue to strengthen the great friendship between India & Israel.
Well done, my friend! 🇮🇱🤝🇮🇳— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) May 23, 2019
Pragya breaks her silence
Bhopal: BJP’s Bhopal Lok Sabha seat candidate Pragya Singh Thakur, who recently kicked up a row with some of her remarks and was observing silence for 63 hours as a mark of penance, broke the vow Thursday to express her elation over poll trends which showed her in the lead. Pragya expressed happiness after initial counting showed her leading against her nearest Congress rival Digvijay Singh by over 90,000 votes. “I am happy with the people’s response,” she told reporters at her home and waved to people and her supporters who were chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’.
Congress wins Parrikar’s seat in Goa
Panaji: After 25 years of uninterrupted run, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Thursday failed to retain the Panaji Assembly constituency, largely represented by late Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar since 1994.
The BJP candidate Sidharth Kuncalienkar lost to Congress’ Atanasio Monserrate by 1,758 votes. Monserrate polled 8,748 votes against Kuncalienkar’s 6,990 votes.
BJP’s Sunny Deol leading in Gurdaspur
Chandigarh: BJP candidate and Bollywood actor Sunny Deol is leading by more than 47,000 votes over his nearest rival and Congress nominee Sunil Jakhar from the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha seat in Punjab.
From the start of counting of votes at 8am Thursday, Deol has been maintaining a lead over Punjab Congress chief Jakhar.
Saffron flag flutters high in Uttarakhand
Dehradun: The BJP is surging ahead on all five Lok Sabha seats in Uttarakhand with its candidates maintaining comfortable leads over their nearest rivals, the Congress. State BJP president Ajay Bhatt is leading by a margin of 1,06,373 votes over Congress general secretary and former Chief Minister Harish Rawat in the Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar seat. Bhatt’s margin is the highest among BJP candidates in the hill state.
Delhi: BJP leads in all seven seats
New Delhi: The BJP is leading in all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, with the Congress trailing in five constituencies and the AAP in two seats, poll officials said. Electoral debutant Gautam Gambhir, Union Minister Harsh Vardhan and sitting lawmaker Manoj Tiwari of the Bharatiya Janata Party were among early gainers.
BJP makes massive gains in West Bengal
Kolkata: The BJP seems to be making deep inroads into West Bengal by leading in 16 seats, while Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) is currently ahead in 25 seats in the state. The Congress is leading in one constituency, while the Left is yet to to take a lead in any of the 42 constituencies. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the TMC had won 34 seats, the Left Front and the BJP two seats each and the Congress four.
BJP takes lead in 9 Assam seats
Assam: The BJP is currently ahead in nine of 14 Lok Sabha seats in Assam, while its ally Asom Gana Parishad is leading in two seats, according to the Election Commission trends. The saffron party has conceded three seats to its allies this time – two to the AGP and one to the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF). In Kaliabor, AGP’s Moni Madhab Mahanta is leading by 11233 votes against Congress candidate Gaurav Gogoi. Gogoi had bagged the seat in 2014 by 93874 votes.
BJP ahead in all four seats in Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh: The ruling BJP is surging ahead in all four Lok Sabha seats of Himachal Pradesh, with its candidates securing unassailable leads, according to latest EC trends. In Mandi, the sitting BJP MP Ram Swaroop is leading by over 154418 votes over his nearest rival Aashray Sharma of the Congress. BJP candidate Kishan Kapoor was leading by 201699 votes over his nearest rival Pawan Kajal of Congress in Kangra, a state election officer said.
In Uttar Pradesh, BJP ahead in 58 seats
Uttar Pradesh: The BJP forged ahead of its rivals in 58 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh while the BSP-SP alliance was leading in 19 seats as counting of votes progressed, EC sources said. In Varanasi, PM Narendra Modi was leading by over 55,000 votes against his SP rival. In the high-profile Amethi seat, BJP’s Smriti Irani established an early lead of 1,931 votes against sitting MP and Congress president Rahul Gandhi while UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi was leading in neighbouring Rae Bareli by over 17,000 votes. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh was leading against his nearest SP rival Poonam Sinha and in Lucknow. The Bahujan Samaj Party was leading in 11 and the Samajwadi Party in eight while the Congress was ahead in one and the Apna Dal (Soneylal) in one.
DMK’s Stalin emerges from Karunanidhi’s shadow with emphatic lead
Chennai: For a long time MK Stalin, who even at the age of 64 was the youth president of the DMK, would be privately sneered at by rivals – internal and external – for failing to emerge from the shadows of his larger than life father M Karunanidhi. Even in 2016, while the election was led by Stalin as Karunanidhi was ailing, the unexpected defeat in the assembly polls to the AIADMK then led by J Jayalalithaa meant that the blame was laid at his feet.
BJP marching towards comfortable victory
New Delhi: It looks like it is once more going to be a cakewalk for the BJP and Narendra Modi as the early trends predict a comfortable win for the party. As per the Election Commission website, the BJP is ahead in 294 seats while the Congress is way behind with leads in 50 seats only. BJP single-handedly is well over the majority mark in the Parliament and it is only a matter of time before Modi takes oath as the Prime Minister for a second term.
Neck and neck battle in West Bengal
Kolkata: Union minister Babul Supriyo and sitting Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee and greenhorn Mimi Chakrabory were among those taking the lead from their respective constituencies in West Bengal, according to initial EC trends. However, it is a neck and neck contest between the BJP and the TMC in most seats
BJP surging ahead in Rajasthan
Jaipur: The BJP was ahead in 23 seats in Rajasthan while its alliance party RLP and the Congress were leading in one seat each, according to Election Commission trends. The BJP had contested in 24 seats and its alliance partner Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) headed by former BJP leader Hanuman Beniwal, contested one seat. Of the total 25 seats, the Congress is leading in only one seat of Bharatpur, according to the Election Commission.
Rahul trails in Amethi
Lucknow: Counting began amidst tight security in Uttar Pradesh and early trends show a major lead for the BJP BJP. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) L. Venkateshwarlu said that the counting will decide the fate of 979 candidates and the number of EVMs to be counted is 1.63 lakh. According to initial trends, the biggest shocker came from Amethi where Congress President Rahul Gandhi was trailing to BJP’s Smriti Irani by some 2,500 votes.
Congress ahead in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram: The counting for the 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala began Thursday morning, with initial trends showing that the Congress was ahead in 12 and the Left in seven seats. BJP’s Kummanem Rajasekheran was ahead of Congress’ Shashi Tharoor, the sitting member, in Thiruvananthapuram. Congress President Rahul Gandhi was leading in Wayanad, official sources said. The Left candidates were leading in seven places including Palakkad, Attingal, Kozhikode, Vadakara and Kannur.
Counting begins
Counting has begun for the 542 of the 543 Lok Sabha seats. The trend, whether it will be BJP again or the Opposition parties will rule the roost will be clear in the next couple of hours. Both the BJP and the Congress have expressed confidence about forming the government. Exit polls have predicted the return of Narendra Modi as Prime Minister for the second successive term.
