New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party today emerged a clear winner in the Assembly elections held for five States- Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur, by establishing leads in four States.
While the national party which is in power in the Centre was marching towards victory in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur, Aam Aadmi Party of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal emerged triumphant in Punjab.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken a big lead in his constituency of Gorakhpur Urban, mirroring BJP’s early headstart. The BJP has also taken a huge lead in Uttarakhand and Manipur, and maintains a narrow lead over the Congress in Goa.
Celebrations started outside the home of AAP’s Punjab Chief Minister candidate Bhagwant Mann, anticipating a big win for the party.
The counting of votes for 690 seats across Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur began at 8 am today.
In Uttar Pradesh, among those leading included Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from Gorakhpur, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav from Karhal, Shivpal Yadav from Jaswant Nagar, and Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya from Sirathu.
The Aam Aadmi Party took a big lead in Punjab and was ahead in 79 seats out of 117 with several heavyweights, including Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, trailing behind its nominees in many seats, according to early trends.
In Uttarakhand, the BJP was leading in 44 seats, while the Congress was ahead in 22. In Goa, the ruling BJP was ahead in 18 seats, while the Congress was leading in 12 seats, as per trends available for the 40-member Goa assembly.
In Manipur, the BJP was ahead in 20 seats and the Congress in three constituencies in the initial rounds of counting.