New Delhi| March,10 : Early trends indicate that BJP will to come back to power in Uttar Pradesh with an overwhelming majority while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is set to sweep Punjab. The saffron party is leading in over 260 seats in UP while AAP has taken a lead in over 80 constituencies in Punjab. In Uttarakhand, BJP has taken a lead in over 40 seats as Harish Rawat, the CM face of Congress in the state, is trailing. Early leads also suggest a neck-and-neck contest in Goa with the BJP pulling slightly ahead of Congress. In the northeastern state of Manipur, BJP has taken a lead in over 20 seats, with incumbent CM N Biren Singh ahead in Heingang.
The counting of votes for the 690 seats spread across five states started early morning at around 8.00 A.M. As the results to the five-state Assembly polls start rolling in, all eyes will be fixed on the dead-heat race in Uttarakhand and Goa, where the both the BJP and the Congress are fighting out a fierce battle, according to the exit polls. While most pollsters believe it to be an easy ride for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh and Manipur, Punjab is expected to offer an unexpected change in power in the form of AAP.
The elections to the five states — Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur — had kicked off on February 10, with Punjab and Manipur going to the polls at a later date. While the seven-phase UP polls ended on March 7, the Manipur elections were held in two phases — on February 28 and March 5. Punjab went to the polls on February 20, whereas the election in Uttarakhand and Goa were conducted on February 14.
