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Poll updates: Mamata concedes defeat in Nandigram, happy Bengal ‘saved country’, BJP says it accepts mandate

Trinamool Congress wins in West Bengal, LDF in Kerala, DMK in Tamil Nadu and BJP in Assam. Here are the updates of the 2021 assembly election results.

ThePrint Team
(L-R) Narendra Modi, Mamata Banerjee and Amit Shah | Wires
(L-R) Narendra Modi, Mamata Banerjee and Amit Shah | Wires
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New Delhi: Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress looks set to sweep West Bengal as it leads in 208 of 294 seats. In Tamil Nadu, DMK-Congress alliance is heading towards victory. In Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF is set to win a historic second term. The BJP looks set to retain Assam with the party’s alliance leading in 73 of 126 seats. Meanwhile, AINRC-led NDA is leading in Puducherry.

However, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, who was contesting against BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari in Nandigram, conceded defeat. She alleged the Election Commission (EC) changed results in Nandigram, but said she is happy as the “people of Bengal have saved the country”.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah congratulated Banerjee, Vijayan and DMK’s M.K. Stalin on their respective electoral wins.

Here are the live updates:

9:30pm: Latest poll numbers

9:25 pm: Trinamool Congress sends a memo to the Election Commission demanding an “immediate re-counting” of votes in the Nandigram constituency.

“Certain preposterous and illegal incidents have happened today while counting of votes in Nandigram,” says the memo, signed by Derek O’ Brien and three other TMC leaders.

9:20 pm: After winning a fifth consecutive term in Assam, BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma says he does not want to talk about who would become the next chief minister of the state as the decision will be made by the party’s central parliamentary board.

The BJP’s central leadership is yet to take a call on who will become CM in Assam between incumbent Sarbananda Sonowal and Sarma, who has largely been hailed as the party’s election expert in the state.

9:10 pm: The Nandigram constituency in West Bengal witnessed one of the fiercest electoral battles between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her former aide-turned-BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari. During results Sunday, the counting in Nandigram saw several twists and turns.

Read this report by ThePrint’s Madhuparna Das to know more.

9:00 pm: Mamata Banerjee will call on West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar tomorrow at 7pm at Raj Bhawan, according to ANI.

8:50 pm: With 99 out of 140 seats in the Assembly, the LDF has bettered its own 2016 victory by nine seats, reducing the opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front to 41 seats and demonstrating that it intends to keep governance on top of its agenda rather than ideology.

Read how Kerala’s LDF managed a historic return to power under Pinarayi Vijayan in this report by ThePrint’s Jyoti Malhotra.

8:40 pm: The latest poll trends

West Bengal

Kerala

Tamil Nadu

Assam

Puducherry

8:35 pm: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy and Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik also tweet out their congratulations on the assembly election results.

8:25 pm: If Narendra Modi and Amit Shah embarked on a rather successful journey to attain a Congress-mukt Bharat in 2013, they were determined to raise the stakes eight years later — achieve a BJP-only Bharat by vanquishing regional parties. And West Bengal was to be the most important milestone.

Read how Bengal is Modi-Shah’s biggest flop show in this report by ThePrint’s D.K. Singh.

8:15 pm: BJP’s E. Sreedharan, popularly known as the ‘Metro Man’, loses to Congress’ Shafi Parambil by a margin of 3,859 votes in Kerala’s Palakkad constituency, according to the Election Commission.

8:05 pm: Home Minister Amit Shah says the BJP accepts the mandate of the people in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Shah further congratulates Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, BJP National President J.P. Nadda, and leaders Ranjeet Kumar Dass and Himanta Biswa Sarma for the party’s win in Assam.

8:00 pm: BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari thanks the people of Nandigram for choosing him as their representative. Adhikari was in a fierce battle against CM Mamata Banerjee in the constituency.

“My sincere thanks to the great People of Nandigram for their love, trust, blessings, and support, and for choosing me as their representative and the MLA from #Nandigram. It is my never-ending commitment to be of service to them and working for their welfare. I am truly grateful!,” tweets Adhikari.

7:50 pm: PM Modi also congratulates CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan and DMK chief M.K. Stalin for their election victories in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, respectively.

7:40 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulates Mamata Banerjee on Trinamool Congress’ win in West Bengal assembly elections.

“The Centre will continue to extend all possible support to the West Bengal Government to fulfil people’s aspirations and also to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Modi.

7:35 pm: ThePrint’s Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta and News Editor Ruhi Tewari discuss the results of the 2021 assembly polls in episode 737 of ‘Cut The Clutter’. Watch LIVE:

7:30 pm: The latest poll trends

Kerala

Tamil Nadu

West Bengal

Assam

Puducherry

7:25: C.T. Ravi, national secretary of the BJP, congratulates DMK on its victory in Tamil Nadu and says his party accepts the mandate of the people, in a statement.

“BJP has made a beginning in Tamil Nadu. We will work even harder from today to win the hearts and minds of Tamil Makkal,” says Ravi.

7:10pm: Mamata Banerjee visits Kalighat temple

6:50pm: Prashant Kishor, the man who rose to national prominence with his role in the BJP and Narendra Modi’s landslide victory in 2014, has now helped defeat an aggressive campaign put up by the same party in a state it deeply coveted — West Bengal. To know how the poll strategist took on mighty Modi-Shah machine & ruined BJP plans, read this report by ThePrint’s Moushumi Das Gupta.

6:35pm: The latest poll trends

West Bengal

Tamil Nadu

Assam

Kerala

Puducherry

6:25pm: For winning a greater battle, you must sacrifice something, TMC supremo says

6:20pm: “We have won the match, don’t be sad about Nandigram. We will to court,” says Mamata.

“Some of the senior officials, who sided with outsiders, let me tell you: you are under watch. I know everything,” she says.

6:18pm: Mamata Banerjee alleges the EC changed Nandigram results. “How can the mandate be different in Nandigram from all other constituencies,” she says.

6:15pm: We fought against all odds. EC behaved rudely. We fought against agencies and EC, money and muscle power, says TMC chief

6:14pm: People of Bengal have saved the country: Mamata

6:11pm: We are grateful to the people for this landslide victory. I have to start working for Covid-19 immediately. The swearing-in will be a low-key event because of the prevailing Covid situation, says Mamata Banerjee

6:10pm: “People of Bengal won, this is everyone’s victory”, says Mamata Banerjee as she addresses media

6:00pm: Today’s victory is the victory of the people of Kerala. People have stood by us. The LDF has won more seats than last time. This is our answer to our critics, says Pinarayi Vijayan

5:53pm: As opposition DMK-Congress alliance heads for a big win in Tamil Nadu, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi congratulates M.K. Stalin, says “People of Tamil Nadu have voted for change and we will, under your leadership, prove to be a confident step in that direction.”

5:46pm: Kerala has given a verdict in favor of the LDF. But this is not the time to celebrate with great joy as Covid-19 continues to spread. This is the time to continue the fight against Covid, says Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan

5:40pm: The latest poll trends

West Bengal

Assam

Puducherry

5:35pm: Rajasthan CM congratulates Mamata Banerjee, says “people of West Bengal have taught a lesson to BJP”.

5:25pm: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan will address media at 5:30pm, Mamata Banerjee will address her supporters at 6pm

5:15pm: The Congress party has been cut to size in the West Bengal assembly election. Things are worse than Bengal leaders expected, but they say the party had it coming. To know the reasons behind Congress’ debacle in the state, click here

5:08pm: This is a victory for the people of Bengal, says Mamata Banerjee

5:05pm: Why Kerala & Tamil Nadu have voted against BJP: DMK Spokesperson Manuraj Shunmugasundaram, political observer Gouridasan Nair and ThePrint’s senior consulting editor Jyoti Malhotra discuss. Watch LIVE:

5:04pm: NDTV reports counting for Nandigram seat still on, contest between Mamata Banerjee and Suvendhu Adhikari too close to call.

5:01pm: BJP’s Tamil Nadu chief L. Murugan trails in Dharapuram. DMK’s N. Kayalvizhi leads by over 2,400 votes, according to the Election Commission.

4:52pm: BJP’s hopes of forming its first government in Bengal crumbled Sunday as trends for 2021 assembly elections pointed to a clear victory — third in a row — for Mamata Banerjee’s TMC. To read why BJP’s Bengal blitzkrieg and Modi-Shah attacking Mamata have failed, click here.

4.49pm: Current trends show the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee will manage to retain West Bengal. Read ThePrint’s analysis on the five reasons why ‘Didi’ is set to sweep Bengal despite a BJP surge here.

4:45pm: These are the latest poll trends

4:35pm: Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan maintains his lead in Coimbatore South. He has polled 1,189 votes more than BJP’s national women’s wing president, Vanathi Srinivasan.

4:30pm: BJP’s Rajib Banerjee, a former Trinamool minister, loses in Domjur

4.27pm: BJP’s Mukul Roy wins Krishnanagar North with 46,762 votes

4:24pm: Mamata Banerjee wins Nandigram, defeats BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari

4:19pm: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweets out congratulatory messages to Mamata Banerjee as well as M.K. Stalin for their parties’ victories in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. Both leaders are set to be the next chief ministers of their states.

4:18pm: Counting of ballots in Puducherry delayed. Election Commission says counting has been slow due to the heavy load causing a server lag.

4:12pm: Defence Minister and senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh congratulated Kerala’s Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on winning another term.

 

4:04pm: TMC turncoat Rajib Banerjee loses in Domjur seat

4:00pm: What do assembly poll results mean for national politics? ThePrint’s Senior Associate Editor Neelam Pandey & Political Editor D.K. Singh discuss. WATCH LIVE:

 

3:50pm: ‘Metro Man’ E. Sreedharan, BJP candidate from Kerala’s Palakkad, loses to Congress’ Shafi Parambil, reports News18

Trends at 3:30pm

West Bengal

Assam

Puducherry

Tamil Nadu

Kerala

3:30pm: ThePrint’s Neelam Pandey and Madhuparna Das explain why BJP’s Bengal blitzkrieg and Modi-Shah attacking Mamata Banerjee have failed. Read here

3:22pm: Kerala: Oommen Chandy wins Puthupally seat. K.K. Shailaja wins Mattanur seat

3:15pm: TTV Dhinakaran-led AMMK fails to lead in a single seat after 7 rounds of counting

3:14pm: Didi vs Modi & what election result mean for India: C-Voter pollster Yashwant Deshmukh, CPR fellow Rahul Verma & ThePrint’s Jyoti Malhotra discuss. Watch:

3:07pm: “Congratulations to MK Stalin ji and the dedicated DMK & alliance workers for this resounding victory. TN people are desperately waiting for progressive pro-people policies under your able leadership,” tweets Tejashwi Yadav

3:05pm: Poll strategist Prashant Kishor who is looking after the Trinamool Congress’ election strategy, tells NDTV “he will quit this space”.

2:55pm: Veteran CPI(M) leader and former minister Ashok Bhattacharya loses in Siliguri

2:48pm: “Heartiest congratulations to you Mamata Banerjee Ji on this historic victory against all odds. I wish you good health. I would also like to thank & congratulate people of Bengal who wholeheartedly voted for Didi & didn’t fall for vitriolic & divisive propaganda of BJP,” tweets Lalu Prasad Yadav

2:46pm: DMK’s victory is by a small margin. Every political analyst should be surprised at the resilience of AIADMK: Yogendra Yadav

Tamil Nadu: No one would be surprised that at long last DMK’s “youth leader” Stalin gets to be the CM. But all the pollsters would be surprised at the small margin of the DMK’s victory. And every political analyst should be surprised at the resilience of the AIADMK despite everything. After Jayalalithaa’s departure, the AIADMK was a ramshackled property, waiting to be acquired. It ran the most lacklustre government. And it did not have a leader who could be projected. Yet it was not wiped out. Clearly both the Dravida parties are more deeply entrenched than we imagine. It is going to be difficult for the BJP to turn the AIADMK into its franchise. Kamal Haasan’s party would need to show more perseverance to overcome the stiff barriers to entry.

2:40pm: Mamata Banerjee is leading in Nandigram with 2,700 votes

2:35pm: Two things stand out in how Kerala voted — LDF has matched UDF in its share of minority voters, and ever-smart voters of Kerala have settled for ticket splitting: Yogendra Yadav

As expected, the LDF has secured a comfortable majority, nearly a repeat of its performance in 2016. Analysts would put it down to Pinarayi Vijayan’s personal popularity and his government’s Covid relief work. But don’t forget two big historic shifts in political preferences that mark this election. One, the LDF has for the first time matched the UDF in its share of minority Muslim and Christian voters who together are 40 per cent of the electorate. Mark the loosening of the stranglehold of the IUML. Second, the ever-smart voters of Kerala seem to have settled for ticket splitting: sharply different preferences for Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha. In 2019, they completely rejected the LDF to vote Congress-led UDF at the Centre and have now rejected UDF at the state level, even though it was its turn this time. These two patterns could change the future of electoral politics in Kerala.

2:31pm: Leads at 2:30pm

Puducherry

Kerala

Tamil Nadu

Assam

West Bengal

2:28pm: Here are five reasons why Mamata Banerjee is set to sweep Bengal despite a BJP surge

2:18pm: NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Samajwadi Party president also congratulate Mamata Banerjee as leads show big win for TMC in Bengal

2:15pm: DMK president M.K. Stalin asks people to avoid celebrations due to Covid, tells party workers not to leave counting centres till counting of votes ends

2:11pm: How did Mamata Banerjee pull it off in West Bengal? ThePrint’s Political Editor D.K. Singh and Senior Assistant Editor Madhuparna Das discuss. Watch:

2:10pm: DMK workers celebrate outside party headquarters in Chennai (PTI Photo)

DMK workers

1:59pm: “An emotional day after fighting the world’s most destructive force … A momentous day for India & Bengal,” tweets TMC leader Derek O’Brien

1:53pm: As LDF is headed towards historic second term in Kerala, read this report by Fatima Khan on how the man responsible, ‘captain’ Pinarayi Vijayan, proved himself to be an efficient crisis manager.

1:43pm: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal congratulates Mamata Banerjee for “landslide victory”.

1:33pm: Leads at 1:30pm:

Puducherry

Assam

 

Kerala

Tamil Nadu

West Bengal

1:30pm: Election Commission of India writes to Chief Secretaries of all States/UTs to “prohibit victory celebrations urgently”.

EC letter | Twitter/ANI

1:22pm: As LDF heads towards victory in Kerala, a senior Congress leader who spoke on condition of anonymity told ThePrint that the UDF’s poor performance was due to internal rift within the state Congress unit.

1:20pm: Leads at 1:20pm:

West Bengal: TMC leading in 207, BJP in 81
Tamil Nadu: DMK+ leading in 143, AIADMK+ in 90
Kerala: LDF leading in 92, UDF in 46
Assam: BJP+ leading in 75, INC+ in 48
Puducherry: BJP+ 8, INC+ 4

1:17pm: BJP’s Himanta Biswa Sarma leading from Assam’s Jalukbari

1:12pm: Kerala BJP state president K. Surendran who is contesting from Konni and Manjeshwar, trailing in both seats

1:05pm: As workers and supporters of political parties congregate to celebrate anticipated victory, the EC directs Chief Secretaries of all 4 states and one UT to file FIR in each such case, suspend concerned SHO and report action taken immediately of each such incidence, reports ANI

12:55pm: DMK supporters outside party headquarters in Chennai

12:50pm: Trinamool looks set to break Congress-CPM stranglehold on Murshidabad & Malda. Read Madhuparna Das’ report here

12:40pm: Trends for 4 states and 1 UT at 12:30pm:

Puducherry

Kerala

Assam

Tamil Nadu

West Bengal

12:35pm: TMC supporters celebrate in Kolkata as the party crosses 200-mark

12:30pm: After almost five rounds of counting, Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress is leading in 203 seats, while BJP is leading in 90

12:25pm: In Kerala, LDF is now leading in 95 seats, UDF in 42

12:15pm: Read how the BJP’s massive infrastructure push in Assam and the state’s changed attitude away from ethnic identity seem to have helped the ruling party gain a decisive lead in the state

12:07am: Current trends show the TMC is leading in 201 seats in Bengal, while BJP is ahead in 88

12:05am: Kerala Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala leading in Haripad seat with 5,834 votes

12:00pm: What do assembly poll trends tell us about the BJP, Congress, TMC?
ThePrint’s Senior Associate Editor Neelam Pandey, Senior Correspondent Fatima Khan & News Editor Ruhi Tewari discuss. Watch:

11:55am: Peasant activist Akhil Gogoi, president of Raijor Dal, leading from Assam’s Sibsagar constituency by over 3,524 votes

11:52am: Kerala health minister K.K. Shailaja leading by more than 3,000 votes

11:50am: According to the website, DMK is leading in 110 seats and AIADMK in 79

11:46am: TMC’s Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay leading from high-profile Bhabanipur constituency with over 3,500 votes. This constituency was earlier represented by chief minister Mamata Banerjee

11:45am: Tamil Nadu BJP president L. Murugan leads in Dharapuram

11:40am: Trends at 11:40am:

West Bengal: TMC leading in 193, BJP in 95
Tamil Nadu: DMK+ leading in 136, AIADMK+ in 97
Kerala: LDF leading in 93, UDF in 44
Assam: BJP+ leading in 80, INC+ in 44
Puducherry: BJP+ 11, INC+ 5

11:38am: AIADMK leads in 9 out of 11 constituencies in Salem district. Western Tamil Nadu has historically been the AIADMK’s stronghold. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu BJP president L. Murugan is leading in Dharapuram

11:33am: On India Today TV, BJP spokesperson R.P. Singh asks Rajdeep Sardesai and Rahul Kanwal to wear masks in the studio. Lots of people are watching and you need to show people, he says. Rajdeep responds saying they’ve taken all precautions. But Rahul has the last word, saying you guys went around campaigning without masks and are telling us now!

11:30am: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan leading by over 4,600 votes after first round of counting

11:24am: Even as the Madras High Court said leaders of all political parties “should” exercise extreme restraint whether in celebration or otherwise on the day of counting,
DMK workers and supporters were seen celebrating outside Anna Arivalayam, the party headquarters in Chennai, as official trends show the party leading

11:20am: In Abbas Siddiqui’s home turf Jangipara, Trinamool Congress leading by 1059 votes

11:16am: Almost everything has worked for the ruling NDA in Assam, including dumping ally BPF: Yogendra Yadav

Assam looks quite clear. The BJP is returning to power comfortably, may even secure a majority for itself. Almost everything has worked for the ruling NDA. It has swept the Ahomia-dominated upper Assam and done better than expected in lower Assam. Despite the formidable Congress-AIUDF alliance, they have not improved their tally in the Bengali Muslim-dominated Barak Valley. The BJP’s tactic of dumping BPF in favour of UPPL has worked in the Bodo area.

11:15am: BJP’s Khushbu Sundar trailing from Chennai’s Thousand Lights constituency

11:14am: K.T. Jaleel, LDF minister who was named in the gold smuggling case, trailing in his seat Thavanoor

11:10am: Update from Kerala: Actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi, who contested on a BJP ticket, is leading in Thrissur. UDF’s K.K. Rama leading in LDF bastion Vadakkara. P.C. George, former Congressman, who contested as an Independent, is trailing.

Former Kerala BJP president Kummanam Rajasekharan leading in Nemom.

11:05am: Trends at 11:05am:

West Bengal: TMC leading in 189, BJP in 89
Tamil Nadu: DMK+ leading in 134, AIADMK+ in 99
Kerala: LDF leading in 91, UDF in 46
Assam: BJP+ leading in 82, INC+ in 40
Puducherry: BJP+ 11, INC+ 4

11:00am: Tamil Nadu Edappadi K Palaniswami leading in home bastion Edappadi by over 19,000 votes

10:55am: TMC has now crossed the halfway mark in Bengal, early trends show. It is leading in 187 seats, while BJP is leading in 88

10:50am: BJP’s Kailash Vijayvargiya says the party will “cross the magic number” in West Bengal

 

10:48am: In Coimbatore South, BJP’s Vanathi Srinivasan trails third, behind Kamal Haasan and Congress’ Mayura Jayakumar. Coimbatore South was where the BJP was looking to make inroads with a strong RSS presence and hopes of AIADMK’s vote share being transferred to them

10:42am: DMK crosses the halfway mark in Tamil Nadu, leads in 135 seats while AIADMK leads in 98 seats, reports News18

10:38am: AIADMK leader and Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam trailing in Bodinayakanur

10:35am: Trends at 10:35am

West Bengal: TMC leading in 168, BJP in 93
Tamil Nadu: DMK+ leading in 132, AIADMK+ in 100
Kerala: LDF leading in 97, UDF in 41
Assam: BJP+ leading in 76, INC+ in 41
Puducherry: BJP leading in 3 seats, AINRC in 7, DMK in 3, AIADMK in 1, INC in 1

10:32am: Mamata Banerjee tells her party workers “Trinamool Congress will win 2/3 of the total assembly seats”

10:27am: TMC’s Aroop Biswas now leading in Tollyganj, BJP’s Babul Supriyo trailing

10:22am: TMC is now leading in 158 seats while BJP is leading in 86 seats

10:20am: Two of the 4 BJP MP’s who are in the fray — Swapan Dasgupta from Tarakeshwar and Locket Chatterjee from Chunchura — are trailing. Former Asansol MP Babul Supriyo is leading from Tollygunge seat. Trends are yet to come from the Dinhata seat from where BJP Cooch Behar MP Nisith Paramnik is contesting

10:10am: BJP’s Mukul Roy, once West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee’s close aide, leading from Krishnanagar North seat. He is contesting elections after 20 years. Mukul Roy’s son Subhrangshu Roy, who also left TMC to join BJP, leading from Bijpur in North 24 Parganas

10:08am: BJP’s Ashok Lahiri, former chief economic advisor, leading in Balurghat

10:05am: Watch ThePrint’s Senior Correspondent Fatima Khan & News Editor Ruhi Tewari discuss the big takeaways from the assembly poll trends

10:00am: Trends at 10:00am

West Bengal: TMC leading in 137, BJP in 85
Tamil Nadu: DMK+ leading in 127, AIADMK+ in 91
Kerala: LDF leading in 91, UDF in 45
Assam: BJP+ leading in 68, Congress+ in 31
Puducherry: BJP leading in 3 seats, AINRC in 7, DMK in 3, AIADMK in 1

9:57am: CPI(M)’s Aishe Ghosh leading in Jamuria

9:56am: Bengal ministers — Rabindranath Ghosh, Partha Chatterjee, Aroop Biswas, Ashish Banerjee, Arup Roy, Gautam Deb — trailing

9:53am: CPM-Congress-ISF alliance in West Bengal is yet to take lead in any constituency

9:52am: Sasikala nephew and AIMIM founder T.T.V. Dhinakaran trails. M.K. Stalin and son Udhayanidhi leading from Kolathur and Chepauk respectively

9:50am: Suvendu Adhikari’s leading by 4,557 votes after second round. BJP national vice president Mukul Roy leads in Krishnanagar North

9:48am: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee trails by 4,500 votes in Nandigram

9:43am: Trends at 9:43am

West Bengal: TMC leading in 112, BJP in 86
Tamil Nadu: DMK+ leading in 115, AIADMK+ in 87
Kerala: LDF leading in 85, UDF in 50
Assam: BJP+ leading in 50, Congress+ in 25
Puducherry: BJP, AINRC, DMK, INC leading in 3 seats each, AIADMK in 1

9:40am: West Bengal Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim leads in Kolkata Port. TMC turncoat Jitendra Tiwari and Col Diptenshu Choudhury leading

9:35am: LDF now leading in 90 seats in Kerala, while UDF is leading in 46. The state went to polls on 6 April and has a history of alternating between LDF and UDF governments. However, that trend might change this year.

9:34am: Early trends from Puducherry show NDA leading in 7 seats

9:32am: In the first round, BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari leads by 1,500 votes

9:30am: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee trailing in Nandigram

9:25am: In Assam, BJP leasing in 26 seats, Congress in 12, AGP in 9, AIUDF in 7

9:24am: Tamil Nadu: DMK+ now leading in 92 seats, AIADMK+ in 64, reports News18

9:20am: Suvendu Adhikari leading in Nandigram, Swapan Dasgupta is now trailing

9:19am: In West Bengal, TMC now leading in 78 seats, BJP in 66, reports News18

9:17am: Keep an eye on Bengal. So far, BJP has done better than what TMC analysts would have us believe — Yogendra Yadav

Early trends at 9 am are along expected lines, except that the lead for DMK+ in Tamil Nadu and LDF in Kerala is narrow. The situation might change as counting progresses. BJP alliance clearly forging ahead in Assam, perhaps headed for a bigger victory than expected. West Bengal is the real contest to keep an eye on. So far the BJP has done better than what the TMC analysts would have us believe.

9:16am: Initial trends show Suvendu Adhikari leading in Nandigram

9:14am: Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal leading in Majuli

9:12am: Nice banter between anchors Rajdeep Sardesai and Rahul Kanwal on India Today. Rajdeep says Tamil Nadu will give trends faster because Tamilians are good at math and counting. Rahul gets back saying the counting is done by machines which are the same everywhere. Just that TN is more urbanised and that could be an advantage in counting.

DMK spokesperson Manu Sundaram chips in to say we need to wait for another hour at least for clear trends, nothwithstanding Rajdeep’s great faith in the math abilities of Tamilians.

9:11am: In Tamil Nadu, DMK now leading in 69 seats, AIADMK in 42 seats. Kamal Haasan leading in Coimbatore South

9:10am: In Kerala, ‘Metro Man’ E. Sreedharan, BJP candidate from Palakkad, is leading

9:09am: In West Bengal, the real battle is in rural south Bengal: Yogendra Yadav

Early trends confirm that it could be a cliff-hanger. Although most of the exit polls have placed TMC ahead, with near or clear majority, don’t be too sure of that. BJP voters may be reluctant to say so to the pollsters, out of fear or embarrassment. Also, the TMC could secure more votes but less seats. So, best to wait till all regions have reported. The BJP is expected to do very well in North Bengal and the western region of Jangalmahal, while the TMC would dominate Malda-Murshidabad and greater Kolkatta. The real battle is rural south Bengal.

9:08am: Former BCCI chief Jagmohan Dalmiya’s daughter Baishali leads in Bally, Howrah. She joined the BJP in December after being expelled from Trinamool Congress for “anti-party” activities

9:07am: In Assam, dice loaded in favour of ruling BJP-AGP alliance: Yogendra Yadav

At the beginning of the counting, the dice is loaded in favour of the ruling BJP-AGP alliance. The margin of its expected victory would depend upon how complete is the BJP’s sweep in the upper Assam areas and which of the two alliances wins the Bodo region.

9:05am: BJP leads in Baharampur in Murshidabad

9:00am: Four TMC ministers — Arup Biswas, Partha Chatterjee, Sujit Bose, Arup Roy — trailing in Bengal

8:59am: Historic shift in Kerala politics as LDF set to come back to power: Yogendra Yadav

We are almost certain to see a historic shift in the state’s politics. The LDF is set to become the first ruling coalition in the last four decades to come back to power. And if we go by the exit polls, it may not be a wafer-thin majority. Although most polls have hedged their bets by projecting 70-80 seats for the LDF (in a 140-member assembly), the tally could be much higher. An exit poll shows LDF lead over the UDF to be 9 percentage points, unprecedented in the history of the state. If that happens, the ruling coalition could win over 100 seats.

8:58am: BJP’s Babul Supriyo leading in Tollygunge, Locket Chatterjee in Chuchura

8:55am: In Kolkata, early trends coming in for 5 of 11 seats. Trinamool Congress leads in 3 seats, BJP in 2.

8:54am: Here’s what Yogendra Yadav has to say on Tamil Nadu

The state counts fast and the results are expected to be one-sided. So we should expect the trend to become clear within the next one hour. The only question is the nature of the victory for the DMK-led alliance. Would it be a comfortable majority, around 160-170 seats in the 234-seat assembly as most exit polls have projected? Or a wave that might give the alliance up to 195 seats, the upper bound of the range predicted by one exit poll? Or, would it be a TN-style electoral tsunami, with the winner picking over 200 seats? Don’t rule that out, if you find that the DMK-led alliance is able to overwhelm the AIADMK in its traditional stronghold of Western Tamil Nadu.

8:53am: Eight TMC turncoats, including Rajiv Banerjee and Vaishali Dalmiya, who joined BJP are leading from their respective seats, postal ballot trends show

8:51am: As early trends show DMK ahead of the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, read this report by Revathi Krishnan on how the AIADMK’s alliance with BJP in may be the most talked-about in the southern state, but this is coming at a price for the ruling party.

8:47am: Initial postal ballot trends show incumbent West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan & Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal leading from their respective seats. In Tamil Nadu, DMK’s CM face M.K. Stalin leading

8:42am: Early leads show CPI(M) now ahead in 44 seats, Congress in 30. In Tamil Nadu, DMK is ahead in 21 seats, AIADMK in 11, and BJP in 2

8:40am: Bengal, Kerala, Assam — each key state election has a serious ‘Muslim party’ in fray. A lot of young voters are drawn to them, but others are sticking with tried-and-tested ‘secular’ parties. Read Fatima Khan’s report

8:37am: In Puducherry, DMK is leading in 2 seats, AINRC, BJP and Congress in 1 each, reports News18

8:32am: In Tamil Nadu, early trends show DMK leads in 9 seats, while AIADMK leads in 4 seats.

8:30am: Kerala, which has followed a pattern of power alternating between the LDF and UDF, is showing decisive leads for the Left front in early trends emerging from the counting of postal ballots.

8:26am: In Assam, BJP getting early leads in 11 of 19 seats whose postal ballot votes are being counted. Assam is an important election for the BJP, given the CAA-NRC row and how that was expected to cast a shadow on the BJP’s prospects in the state.

8:25am: Early trends now show BJP leading in 31 seats in Bengal, TMC in 29, according to News18

8:24am: Yogendra Yadav, the National President of Swaraj India, will share his thoughts on today’s election results in ThePrint’s live blog

“On a day when India has breached another global record of nearly 4 lakh cases in a day, when we have lost 3,700 lives, we should not be focused on counting votes. The country must focus on counting the proportion of tests to population, ratio of positive cases, number of deaths and the data on the promised vaccination. We should be worried about beds, not seats. On a day like this, epidemiology must come before psephology. So, I decided to take a break from what I have done for the last 25 years — do live commentary on TV on the election counting day. Will share some thoughts on this blog, as the trends and results trickle in and when I can find time in the midst of attending to Covid-related calls,” Yadav says

8:18am: Early leads show BJP leading in 3 seats in Assam, Congress and AIUDF on 1 each: News18

8:14am: Early leads from Kerala show LDF leading in 8 seats, UDF in 5, reports News18

8:10am: Early leads from West Bengal in. TMC leading in 6 seats, BJP in 3, reports News18

8:08am: The district of Murshidabad, West Bengal’s third largest with 22 assembly seats, is headed for a direct fight. The battle lines have been drawn primarily between the TMC and the Sanjukta Morcha, an alliance of Left parties, the Congress and new entrant Indian Secular Front (ISF). Read this report by Madhuparna Das

8:05am: In West Bengal, the TMC and the BJP are locked in a bitter battle for the 294 Assembly seats

8:00am: The counting of votes for assembly elections in 5 states has begun

7:54am: Exit polls also signaled a return of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led LDF in Kerala. This would mean that the results might defy the four-decade old tradition of alternating LDF and United Democratic Front (UDF) governments in the state

7:53am: All exit polls predicted huge gains for the BJP in West Bengal. In the 2016 assembly elections, the BJP had won just three seats in the state

7:44am: Congress leader and former Kerala CM Oommen Chandy offers prayers at Puthuppally Church ahead of the counting of votes

7:37am: West Bengal will have the maximum number of 1,113 counting halls, Kerala 633, Assam 331, Tamil Nadu 256 and Puducherry 31, the EC said.

7:35am: There will be 2,364 counting halls as compared to 1,002 halls in 2016 in 822 assemble constituencies in view of the Covid-19 guidelines.

7:15am: Visuals from a counting centre in Guwahati. Exit polls have predicted a second term for the BJP in Assam.

7:00am: A counting centre in Kerala’s Kannur. Counting of postal ballots will begin at 8am.

 

6:45am: Security personnel outside a counting centre in Lawspet, Puducherry

6:10am: The EC has also banned victory rallies and roadshows.

6:05am: Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Election Commission (EC) has curbed the entry of candidates and their counting agents inside the counting centres. Only those with a negative RT-PCR report or two doses of vaccination will be admitted inside the counting centers.

6:00am: According to exit polls’ predictions, it will be a close fight between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and BJP in West Bengal. DMK and LDF are predicted to be sweeping Tamil Nadu and Kerala, respectively.

The exit polls also predict a second term for the BJP in Assam. Meanwhile, in Puducherry, the AINRC-led NDA is predicted to trump the Congress.

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