The BJP is on track to win large in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, while the Aam Aadmi Party has won Punjab in mega-elections viewed as a warm-up for the national election in 2024.
The BJP is expected to win more than 250 seats in the 403-seat state of Uttar Pradesh, with the major opponent, the Samajwadi Party, trailing well behind in 2nd place.
Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP is on track for a crushing victory in Punjab, with a lead in over 90 of the 117-seat assembly. With 13 members, the governing Congress is in second place.
Congress veterans Navjot Sidhu and Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi are lagging behind in Punjab, along with Sukhbir Badal of Akali Dal. Former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who left the Congress and created his own party, is trailing in the Patiala Urban seat.
Celebrations for AAP’s Chief Ministerial candidate Bhagwant Singh Mann in Punjab began early, with sweets being prepared at his residence and a massive stage being created in his hometown of Sangrur.
The BJP is also leading in Goa and Manipur, whereas the Congress Party, which was the single largest party in both these states in 2017, is trailing behind.
The BJP holds 18 seats in Goa’s 40-seat legislature and has announced that it would form government with the cooperation of Sudhin Dhavlikar’s MGP and Independents. MGP, a Trinamool Congress ally, leads by four seats. Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party made its debut in Goa with one seat and is now leading in two more.
Manipur, where the BJP is leading in the polls, looks to be on the verge of a hung assembly as well. The NPP (National People’s Party) of Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has emerged as the second largest party, pushing the Congress to third place.
Celebrations have begun at the BJP office in Lucknow, as the Samajwadi Party is lagging by more than 100 seats.
The BJP is expected to become the first party in Uttar Pradesh to win a second term in a row in more than three decades. With 80 legislative seats, the state of UP holds the key to power at the Central Government.
