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BJP sweeps UP for a consecutive term
Despite claims by opposition parties that the BJP will be dethroned, the saffron party secured the magic mark of 202, according to the ECI data updated at 9.10 pm. The saffron party was leading in 53 other seats at the time of the report.
EC trends at 8.40 pm
Just 0.43 per cent votes for Owaisi's AIMIM in UP polls
Most of the candidates of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen have not been able to cross the 5,000-mark in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, according to poll trends on Thursday.
The vote share of the Asaddudin Owaisi-led party was just around 0.43 per cent of the total votes polled across the 403 assembly seats in the state, the Election Commission website showed.
AIMIM candidates Qamar Kamal in Azamgarh got 1,368 votes, Umair Madni in Deoband 3,145 votes, Abhayraj in Jaunpur 1,340 votes, Moinuddin in Kanpur Cantt 754 votes, Salman in Lucknow Central 463 votes, Rashid in Moradabad 1,266 votes, Mohid Fargani 1,771 votes from Moradabad Rural, and Imran Ahmed in Meerut got 2,405 votes, the website showed at 4 pm.
AAP gets fewer votes than NOTA in UP polls
The Aam Aadmi Party appeared uncertain to win a single seat in the Uttar Pradesh polls as its vote share was less than NOTA on Thursday evening, with a senior party leader saying the 2022 elections were about taking the party's idea to the people of the state.
Till 5.45 pm, the AAP was leading on none of the 403 seats of the state, according to the Election Commission website.
The party had a vote share of 0.34 per cent, even less than NOTA (none of the above) option, which polled 0.69 per cent of the total votes counted till 5.45 pm, the EC data showed.
AAP's Uttar Pradesh in-charge Sanjay Singh said, "The election of UP was about the presence of AAP, taking the idea of AAP to the people, taking the policies of Arvind Kejriwal ji to every village."
Fate of 2024 polls decided today: PM Modi
"The results strongly vindicate BJP's pro-poor and pro-active governance. Earlier, the people could not reach govts for basic amenities such as electricity, gas and water.Several announcements and schemes were made for the poor, but benefits of such schemes never reached the poor who deserved and needed it seamlessly.BJP understands that good governance and delivery of such schemes is very important, and we work to ensure the same," PM Modi said while addressing party workers at BJP Delhi HQ.
"The fate of 2019 polls was decided in 2017 UP elections. Similarly, fate of 2024 polls was sealed in today's results," he added.
UP result heralds new political culture under PM Modi: Union Minister Jitendra Singh
Union minister Jitendra Singh Thursday said that Uttar Pradesh Assembly election result heralds a new political culture under Prime Minister Narendra Modi which is in tune with the aspirational democracy of a new India.
He said the new political culture is guided by the spirit of reaching out to the deprived and providing them with benefits of equitable development with ease of living, empowerment and esteem, without any bias or prejudice.
Singh, the Minister of State for Personnel, said that Uttar Pradesh has broken many a jinx of the past.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has won Karhal seat in his maiden election with a margin of over 67,000 votes.
PM Modi reaches BJP HQ in Delhi
EC trends at 6.35 pm
PM Narendra Modi will address BJP workers from the Party HQ in Delhi at around 7 pm, sources told ANI.
I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi who gave his time to UP and he supported the state government in all its endeavours for the state: Yogi Adityanath at BJP HQ
The BJP and its allies under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi have won a majority in Uttar Pradesh. The people of Uttar Pradesh has spoken. I congratulate each and every party worker of the party due to whom we could make this possible: Yogi Adityanath at BJP HQ after big win in UP
BJP spreading rumours, will form govt in UP: SP
The Samajwadi Party on Thursday alleged that the ruling BJP is spreading rumours of its victory in the UP Assembly polls and claimed that after the declaration of the final results, it will form next government in the state.
The BJP alliance, as per latest trends is leading in 264 seats while the SP combine is ahead on 133 seats.
When asked about BJP men celebrating their victory, SP state president Naresh Uttam Patel said, "Till now, only 50 per cent counting is over. By celebrating, the BJP is spreading rumours."
The Congress tragedy in BJP's near sweep
A Congress tragedy unfolded on Thursday as trends from the counting of votes in five poll-states trickled in, showing that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was on its way to winning in four of them, including Uttar Pradesh, which sends 80 members to the Lok Sabha and Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) winning Punjab for the first time and thereby becoming the only regional party to get power in two states. This phenomenon will worry the principal Opposition party in the long run.
CM Yogi Adityanath is leading from Gorakhpur Urban with a massive margin of55,641.
Azam Khan, son leading in Rampur and Suar
Senior Samajwadi Party leader Mohd Azam Khan and his son Abdullah Azam were leading in Uttar Pradesh's Rampur and Suar constituencies respectively on Thursday.
After the initial rounds of counting, Azam Khan got 41,608 votes while his BJP rival Akash Saxena got 5,035 votes, according to the EC.
Nawab Kazim Ali of the Congress secured only 1,315 votes, it said.
WRAP at 3.30 pm: BJP set for big win in Uttar Pradesh, party alliance leading in 272 seats
The ruling BJP appeared on course to retain power in Uttar Pradesh, with poll trends on Thursday showing the party-led alliance leading in 272 seats as against 123 of its nearest rival Samajwadi Party.
The state has 403 assembly seats and 202 seats are needed to form a majority government.
Trends are available for all 403 seats so far.
Prominent candidates who have secured a lead include Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from Gorakhpur Urban, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav from Karhal, Shivpal Yadav from Jaswant Nagar and Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhana Shukla from Rampur Khas (Pratapgarh).
Adityanath is heading for a landslide victory in Gorakhpur Urban seat leading over his nearest rival, SP's Subhawati Shukla, by about 15,000 votes
Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav is leading with a comfortable margin of over 42,000 votes in Karhal.
BJP's Yogesh Verma is leading in Lakhimpur with a margin of over 8,000 votes.
CM Yogi Adityanath is leading with a margin of over 44,000 votes from Gorakhpur Urban
"I thank the people of Lucknow Cantt as due to their support we are winning the seat. This is a victory of PM Modi's social welfare schemes and victory of law and order in the state,"UP minister and BJP candidate from Lucknow CantonmentBrijesh Pathak told ANI.
Early trends indicate Congress campaign focussed on women, youth unable to arrest its slide in UP
Notwithstanding Priyanka Gandhi Vadra crisscrossing Uttar Pradesh and a buzz built around the "Ladki hoon, Lad sakti hoon" campaign, the Congress was leading in only a couple of seats out of 403 in the state with many of its senior leaders trailing in their respective constituencies, according to trends available at 12.30 pm.
State Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu was trailing and was at the third position in Tamkuhi Raj constituency in Kushinagar district.
Louise Khurshid, the wife of senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid, was trailing in Farrukhabad assembly seat.
Adityanath leading from Gorakhpur seat by 15,000 votes
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was heading for a landslide victory and leading by around 15,000 votes from Gorakhpur Urban seat on Thursday.
According to updated Election Commission figures, Adityanath has secured 21,221 votes while his nearest rival Samajwadi Party's Subhawati Shukla had got 6,628 votes.
BSP's Khwaja Shamsuddin has secured 1,477 votes while Chandra Shekhar of Azad Samaj Party has bagged 1,386 votes.
Chetna Pandey of the Congress was struggling with 272 votes while AAP's Vijay Kumar Shrivastava had secured 93 votes, according to the updated figures.
Elephant flatlines: Mayawati's clout diminishes further
Bahujan Samaj Party's (BSP) conspicuous absence from the campaign trail in the electorally charged Uttar Pradesh will extend to the legislative Assembly, as early numbers paint a grim picture for the Mayawati-led party.
BSP has put up a dismal show, with early trends from the Election Commission showing its lead in barely three seats, even fewer than its poor 2017 show.
EC trends at 1.40 pm
BJP parliamentary board meeting likely today
The BJP parliamentary board, its apex organisational body, is likely to meet later on Thursday to review the party's performance in assembly polls in five states as initial trends projected a thumping victory for the party in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address party workers at the BJP headquarters in the evening, sources said.
BJP's bulldozer can finish everything in a minute: Hema Malini
"We already knew our government will form.We have worked for every developmental aspect, which is why the public trusts us. Nothing can come in front of a bulldozer, as it can finish everything within a minute, be it a cycle or anything else,"BJP MP Hema Malini told ANI.
WRAP at 1 pm: BJP leading in 248 seats in UP, SP in 112
The ruling BJP was leading in 248 seats and Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party (SP) was ahead in 112 constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, the Election Commission trends on Thursday showed.
Trends were available for 399 seats of 403 till 12 noon. The Apna Dal (Soneylal) was leading in 12 Assembly seats and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) was leading in eight seats.
The Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) were leading in two and four Assembly constituencies respectively.
Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal is leading in five Assembly seats. The Jansatta Dal Loktantrik is leading in two seats, Janata Dal (United) in one, Jansatta Dal Loktantrik in two and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party in three.
Early vote share percentages showed -- BJP has 42.38 per cent of votes counted, SP 31.64 per cent, RLD 3.37 per cent, BSP 12.77 per cent and Congress 2.47 per cent.
Assembly elections 2022 counting day | Key takeaways so far
As counting of votes for Legislative Assemblies in five states—Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Manipur, Goa and Uttarakhand— is under way, Punjab and UP's results have turned heads. Take a look at what we know so far.
BREAKING | EC withdraws ban on victory rallies
*Samajwadi Party's Swami Prasad Maurya is trailing by a margin of11,179 in Fazilnagar
*BJP's Ratnakar Mishra is leading in Mirzapur
Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party is set to take Punjab with a thumping victory. Follow live updates from the northern state where Congress is all but disappearing and the grand old party admits that its "the party's own doing", here on DH.
Constituency-wise trends as per EC
*Nitin Agarwal of BJP leads in Hardoi
*Dinesh of BJP leads in Hastinapur
*Neeraj Nalinish of Samajwadi Party is leading inJalalabad
*Dhirendra Singh of the BJP is leading in Jewar
Markets rise as BJP seals UP win
Shares surged more than 2 per centon Thursday, as global markets rebounded amid a brief drop in oil prices, with investor focus on election results in the key state of Uttar Pradesh where BJP is set to retain control.
DH Political Theatre | Tune in
Samajwadi Party's Maharaji Prajapati is leading in Amethi with over 2,000 votes;Dr Sanjay Singh of BJP is trailing.
Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya is trailing by a margin of 365 votes in his constituency Sirathu. SP's Pallavi Patel is leading.
BJP confident of a thumping majority
The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) coalition is leading in about 260 of the 403 seats in Uttar Pradesh, news channels reported, while the Election Commission said the party was ahead in enough seats to hold onto power.
"Everyone will be surprised by the mandate because we are going to win with a thumping majority," said UP BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi.
EC trends at 10.15 am
Shivpal Singh Yadav, who has been given a ticket by Samajwadi Party, is trailingfrom Jaswantnagar constituency.
38.9% vote share for BJP in UP, 40.3% for AAP in Punjab: EC
The BJP is showing an upper hand in Uttar Pradesh with around 38.9 per cent of total vote share as it leads in 48 seats and Samajwadi Party trails in 24 seats, as per the Election Commission website.
The counting of votes was underway, which began at 8 a.m. on Thursday in the crucial five state Assembly polls.
Punjab showed 40.3 per cent support for the AAP with lead in 39 seats while Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal were leading in five seats each, BJP and an Independent candidate leading in 1 seat each.
BJP rampage in UP continues, party leads in 240 seats
EC trends at 9.35 am
Constituency-wise trends as per EC
*BJP's Aditi Singh ahead in Rae Bareli.
*BJP's Mukta Raja ahead in Aligarh
*BJP's Yogendra Upadhyaya ahead in Agra South
*BJP's Brijesh ahead in Deoband
*BJP'sShalabh Mani Tripathi ahead in Deoria
BJP is inching closer to the 202 number- the minimum number of seats required for the saffron party to form a government in Uttar Pradesh.
Counting of votes kick-off in UP amid high security
UP Chief Electoral Officer Ajay Kumar Shukla said that 84 counting centres had been set up across Uttar Pradesh.
"There will be uninterrupted videography right from opening of strong rooms and taking EVMs to counting tables to the counting of votes," Shukla said. Postal ballots were counted first and then EVM ballots from 8.30 am.
"Agra will have five centres. Amethi, Ambedkar Nagar, Deoria, Meerut and Azamgarh will have two centres each, and the rest of will have one each," he said.
Victory processions and rallies have been prohibited.
EC trends at 8.55 am
BJP races ahead, SP leads in 13 seats
Early leads favour BJP in UP
Change is certain in UP: Pilot on assembly polls
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot on Wednesday said the results of the assembly elections held in the five states will bring a change and that Congress' performance will be better.
"People have watched the central government for eight years, and according to the feedback I have received from various states, I believe that a change is almost certain, be it in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand or the central government," Pilot told reporters in Tonk.
Constituencies to look out for: Gorakhpur
Overcrowded roads, encroachment, traffic snarls with haphazardly parked buses on the busy road connecting the railway station with the Roadways Bus station might make one wonder if it indeed was the home town of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The scene somewhat changes as one moves toward the famous Gorakhnath Temple, situated in the heart of the town, with wide roads and off course alert police personnel ensuring uninterrupted traffic.
Constituencies to look out for: Varanasi
BJP flags fluttering atop rooftops, wide roads, a world class railway station, a renovated Kashi Vishwanath Temple and comparatively cleaner Ganga ghats may leave an impression that for BJP there is no challenge in Varanasi, the Lok Sabha constituency of prime minister Narendra Modi, a saffron stronghold since 2014.
People's opinion in the city coupled with the fact that the BJP and its alliance partners had won all the eight seats in Varanasi district in the 2017 should leave no doubt that the saffron party was poised to repeat its old performance.
But the scene changes drastically as one moves into the rural pockets of the district in Rohaniya, Pindra, Shivpur and Sevapur assembly constituencies, where caste continues to play a crucial role in supporting a candidate.
BJP leads in initial counting
DH Toon | Counting begins
BJP asks EC to ensure UP counting centres fully protected
A BJP delegation on Wednesday met the Election Commission (EC) and requested it to ensure that the counting centres are fully protected to ensure that faith and confidence of the common voter in Indian democracy is not vitiated in any manner.
The BJP delegation of Union Minister and election in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Ministers Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and G. Kishan Reddy and party leader Om Pathak, met the Election Commission on Wednesday.
No question of EVM tampering: CEC Sushil Chandra
"Counting of votes is a transparent process. There is a standard operating procedure under which we conduct the counting. Authorised polling agents of the political parties are allowed to come inside the counting centre,"Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra told ANI.
"There is no question of EVM tampering. EVMs are continuously used since 2004, in 2019 we have started using VVPAT at every polling booth. EVMs are sealed in the presence of political party agents," he added.
Counting for UP polls begins
Counting of votes begins for Assembly elections in five States including Uttar Pradesh.
Post-election arithematics, explained
EC sent special officers for counting of votes in Varanasi, Meerut
The Election Commission of India on Wednesday deputed special officers to supervise counting of votes in Meerut and Varanasi amid complaints from opposition parties about alleged irregularities in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Delhi has been sent as a special officer to oversee the counting process in Meerut and Bihar's CEO to Varanasi.
Counting centres prepped ahead of counting
Video and static cameras have been installed at all the counting centres, the official said, adding media centres have also been set up there.
"Adequate AROs (Assistant Returning Officers) have been deployed in every assembly constituency for interruption-free counting," the senior official said.
Elaborating on the security arrangements, the official said a three-layer security set-up has been made comprising of central police forces, PAC (Provincial Armed Constabulary) and the state police.
A total of 250 companies of CAPFs (Central Armed Police Forces) have been provided to all the districts and commissionerates on March 10, the police said.
According to officials, a CAPF company usually has around 70-80 personnel.
Of the 250, 36 companies have been earmarked for EVM security and 214 for maintaining law and order. Besides the CAPFs, 61 companies of PAC have also been provided to all districts, they said.
Officials said 625 gazetted officers of UP Police,; 1,807 inspectors; 9,598 sub-inspectors, 11,627 head constables and 48,649 constables have also been put on duty.
CAPF, PAC and civil police deployed ahead of counting
Election FAQs: What happens on counting day?
Results for Assembly polls in five key states — Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur — will be declared today after months of rigorous campaigning by political parties. Take a look at what happens before and on the day of counting here.
Tune in to this episode of DH Radio to understand more about UP polls
BJP kept Opposition on its toes
The voting for the politically-important state was done in seven rounds starting February 10.
For the opposition, Akhilesh addressed 131 rallies and roadshows to take on the pantheon of leaders from the ruling camp.
Mayawati, whose absence on the ground had initially triggered speculations that BSP was out of the power race, also hit the streets in favour of her party nominees.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who led the party from the front in UP, attended 209 rallies and roadshows, maximum among top leaders of various parties, in a bid to regain lost ground for her party in the Hindi heartland.
Sonia Gandhi virtually addressed voters in her Rae Bereli constituency while Rahul Gandhi addressed two rallies - one in Amethi and another in Varanasi.
BJP's performance in 2017
In 2017, BJP had won 312 seats on its own while NDA's figure was 325.
The SP had won 47, BSP 19 and the Congress had won seven seats, two less than Apna Dal (S) at nine.
What do exit polls say?
Almost all the exit polls have predicted that the BJP will return to power. They have forecast an increase in Samajwadi Party's tally but not enough to form the government.
The exit polls have forecast double-digit numbers for the BSP and single-digit count for the Congress.
Both the SP and BSP have dismissed the exit polls, claiming that they would win the poll comfortably and form their government in the state, which has a 403-member assembly.
Shadow of a pandemic
The Covid-19 pandemic struck anew in January when the Omicron variant spread across the country, taking daily cases well over 4 lakh, even if it was milder than the Delta variant of the infamous second wave. This was at the height of poll season, prompting the Election Commission to ban massive rallies and in-person campaigning. BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, resorted to online rallies and webinars to reach out to voters.
Mood of the nation before Lok Sabha elections
Lok Sabha elections are fast approaching when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will seek a third consecutive term, hoping to replicate his record-breaking victory in 2019. Since the state sends the most number of MPs to the lower house, elections to its legislative assembly are considered a precursor to general elections.
The results to be declared today will gauge public perception towards the BJP at the Centre.
BJP’s litmus test, Yogi’s command in question
Even as most exit polls predict a comfortable victory for the saffron party in Uttar Pradesh on March 10 with the party predicted to secure over 200 seats in the 403-seat legislative assembly, many issues challenge the BJP’s standing in the state. A significant fall in the number of seats projected for the BJP or the apparent rise in popularity of its chief opponent, Akhilesh hints at resentment towards the ruling party in different parts of the state.
All eyes on UP as counting to begin soon
After weeks of rigorous campaigning and zingy exchanges among political parties, results to Assembly polls in the Hindi heartland state of Uttar Pradesh will be declared on March 10. Incumbent CM Yogi Adityanath will look to help BJP’s lotus bloom again in the northern state, while his main rival Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav hopes to clinch back the CM seat.
One of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s strongholds and home to Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha seat, the state is significant in navigating the course of national politics.