New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party wrapped up a historical second consecutive win in Uttar Pradesh Thursday with over 270+ seats – an emphatic performance in an election many consider the semi-finals to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The BJP also re-won Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa decimating the nearest rival Congress.
The Aam Aadmi Party scored one over the Congress too in Punjab, sweeping the state with over 90 wins in the 117-seat assembly.
In Uttar Pradesh — the country’s biggest contributor to the Lok Sabha – the BJP broke a 35-year jinx with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath being the first leader to come back to power a consecutive term after a full five years in the throne.
Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party made gains but fell short of expectations with less that 125 seats. However, the SP has emerged a strong opposition to the BJP, having consolidated in its kitty the anti-BJP vote in the 403-seat House.
Punjab overwhelmingly voted for the Aam Aadmi Party, throwing out the ruling Congress whose public infighting alienated voters. From 77 seats last time, Congress was struggling to get 20. Congress stalwarts Navjot Singh Sidhu and outgoing chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Captain Amarinder Singh and the Akali Dal’s Sukhbir Badal were the heavyweights to fall.
AAP leader Akshay Marathe has said the party would now bolster its fight in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.
Proving exit polls wrong – which predicted a hung assembly — the BJP has taken Uttarakhand with nearly 50 seats, relegating Congress to less than 20 in the 70-seat assembly. Its gamble of changing two chief ministers in four months seems to have paid off
The BJP has crossed the halfway mark in the 60-seat Manipur assembly, where it has been in power for five years in alliance with the NPP, NPF and LJP. It went solo this time and still emerged the single largest party.
The Congress, which was in alliance with six parties, could only manage five. It was the largest party in 2017 with 28 seats.
The fight in Goa was predicted to be a tight finish, but the BJP reached the halfway mark in the 40-member assembly. With the regional MGP, the BJP will form the government with over 25 seats. The Congress is eight down from 2017 and has managed 12 seats. The AAP and Trinamool Congress have got three and two seats respectively.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi described BJP’s win in four states as ‘jeet ka chauka’. He said: “It is a day of zest and festivities and this enthusiasm is for India’s democracy.”
The Congress’ poor run continued these elections – the party lost Punjab and was forced to give up its dominant positions in Goa and Manipur where it had been the single largest party in 2017. Leader Rahul Gandhi said the party would “learn from this and keep working for the interests of the people of India”.
Here are the live updates:
20:20 pm: Updates from Uttarakhand and Manipur:
20:15 pm: Updates from Uttar Pradesh and Punjab:
20:00 pm: ‘We had said before that Holi will start from 10 March…It’s a victory 4 by our NDA workers…I thank all voters for participating in this festival of democracy & ensuring BJP this victory. For the first time, a CM will be elected for a second term,’ said PM Modi at the party headquarters (ANI)
19:50 pm: ‘The election results have put a stamp on the schemes launched by PM Modi. People have continuously voted for BJP. Since 2014 people are blessing BJP. This is the first time that a chief minister came into power again in UP. We’re making a hat-trick in Goa,’ said BJP president JP Nadda at the party headquarters (ANI).
19:42 pm: ‘Pad woman of Amritsar’ Jeevan Jyot Kaur becomes giant-killer, beats Sidhu, Majithia and ex-IAS officer. The Amritsar East candidate is a first-time contestant who defeated political heavyweights from Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal and BJP Thursday, reports Unnati Sharma.
19:30 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses party workers at BJP headquarters in Delhi, as party heads for big poll win.
#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses party workers at BJP HQ in Delhi#AssemblyElections2022 https://t.co/OtqqxIUldv
— ANI (@ANI) March 10, 2022
19:20 pm: The Congress received a drubbing in the Gandhi pocketboroughs of Amethi and Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh, winning a grand total of 0 out of a total 10 assembly seats in the two districts.
In the 2017 state assembly elections, the BJP had bagged six of these seats and the Congress-Samajwadi Party (SP) alliance had won four; of these the Congress had claimed two: Rae Bareli and Harchandpur. Read the full report by Ishadrita Lahiri here.
19:05 pm: Punjab Sports Minister and former Indian hockey captain Pargat Singh Powar Thursday beat anti-incumbency and defeated former ace striker Surinder Singh Sodhi of the AAP in Jalandhar Cantt constituency.
Sodhi, an AAP candidate who was contesting for the first time, lost to Pargat by a margin of nearly 6,000 votes, missing out on his party’s sweep across Punjab. Read Shubhangi Misra’s full report to know more.
18:50 pm: Manipur Deputy Chief Minister Yumnam Joykumar Singh of the National People’s Party lost to BJP’s Raghumani Singh in Uripok constituency by a margin of 909 votes Thursday. This is a big blow to the NPP, which contested 38 of the total 60 assembly seats with the hope of increasing its influence in the region. It had contested just nine seats in the 2017 polls. Read the full report by Angana Chakrabarti here.
18:40 pm: ‘Assembly election results show the power of 2, plus 1 — Modi, Kejriwal and Yogi. Modi has become a colossus Indian politics hasn’t seen, Kejriwal has established a new politics of his own kind, and Yogi is the leader to watch, writes ThePrint Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta. Read here.
18:30 pm: Owaisi’s AIMIM fails UP test again, wins 0.5% voteshare but none of 97 seats contested. For UP polls, AIMIM was in alliance with Babu Singh Kushwaha’s Jan Adhikar Party, and Bharat Mukti Morcha. AIMIM has roughly won 3.4 lakh votes in the UP assembly elections. Read Rishika Sadam’s report here.
18:20 pm: “Amid fervour, we have to stay focused…When we were fighting Covid, they (Opposition) were conspiring against us…By making us win, people have once again voted for nationalism, good governance. It’s our responsibility to continue working on these issues,” said UP CM Yogi Adityanath after winning Uttar Pradesh (ANI).
#WATCH | CM Yogi Adityanath and other BJP leaders play holi, celebrate and greet party workers at the party office in Lucknow.#UttarPradeshElections pic.twitter.com/DDaXwjSNAx
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) March 10, 2022
18:15 pm: BJP has crossed the majority mark of 31 in Manipur with 20 wins and leads on 12 seats.
18:05 pm: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath won in the Gorakhpur (Urban) seat with over one lakh votes — a margin of more than 67,000 over the runner-up, the Samajwadi Party’s Subhawati Upendra Dutt Shukla, reports Neelam Pandey.
17:50 pm: ‘Narendra Modi is going to be around for a long time. Get used to it. Political parties have access to better and more detailed polls than we do. But, except for the BJP, they hardly ever pay them the attention they deserve,’ writes Vir Sanghvi.
17:40 pm: As BJP comes close to majority in Manipur, here are the four men who could be the next CM. The BJP emerged as the single-largest party in Manipur Thursday. It had maintained prior to the polls that its face would be decided after the results are declared, reports Angana Chakrabarti.
17:20 pm: All three independent candidates in Goa have given their letters of support to the BJP to form the government. With this development, BJP now comfortably secured a majority in the 40-seat Goa assembly.
17:10 pm: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, who is making his state election debut, is leading by over 60,000 votes from Karhal in Mainpuri district, which is the party stronghold.
17:05 pm: Punjab results an indictment of Gandhis, but their grip on Congress unlikely to loosen. Decisions by Gandhi siblings contributed to the Congress’s loss and their shrinking space across states, but senior leaders believe this won’t affect their hold over the party, reports Ishadrita Lahiri.
16:57 pm: BJP is all set to return to power in Uttarakhand. The party was ahead in 47 seats and Congress in 19.
#UttarakhandElections2022 | We don't believe in politics of revenge. There needs to be a change, which has been brought by the people of Haridwar Rural. Our workers have worked very hard. We will work for people: Congress's Anupama Rawat, daughter of Congress leader Harish Rawat pic.twitter.com/rvNAE5m32i
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) March 10, 2022
16:33 pm: BJP leading in Nighasan, Gola, Srinagar, Kasta, Dhaurahra, Palia and Lakhimpur seats in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri, trailing in Mohammdi. Lakhimpur Kheri had been one of the key attack points of Opposition parties such as the SP, Bahujan Samaj Party and Congress against the BJP, in the run up to the polls.
16:30 pm: With heft of victory in UP, Yogi Adityanath can now begin to assert himself at BJP high table. The normally assertive Adityanath can start to have a say in crucial party decisions. The first step towards that can be his induction in the party’s parliamentary board, reports Neelam Pandey and Shanker Arnimesh.
16:19 pm: Incumbent Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh of the BJP has won by a margin of over 17,000 votes from the Heingang constituency against Congress rival Pangeijam Saratchandra Singh. Celebrations at the CM’s house:
#WATCH | Celebrations at the residence of Manipur CM N Biren Singh in Imphal as BJP leads in the state as per official EC trends. CM N Biren Singh leading in Heingang by 18,271 votes. pic.twitter.com/4AUbchWfAm
— ANI (@ANI) March 10, 2022
16:16 pm: Incumbent Goa CM Pramod Sawant has won from the Sanquelim assembly seat by defeating Congress’ Dharmesh Saglani by a margin of 500 votes.
15:51 pm: “Humbly accept the people’s verdict. Best wishes to those who have won the mandate. My gratitude to all Congress workers and volunteers for their hard work and dedication,” said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a tweet.
Humbly accept the people’s verdict. Best wishes to those who have won the mandate.
My gratitude to all Congress workers and volunteers for their hard work and dedication.
We will learn from this and keep working for the interests of the people of India.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 10, 2022
15:34 pm: Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi loses from Bhadaur and Chamkaur Sahib constituencies. The first Dalit CM of Punjab, Channi was Congress’ CM face. AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal hailed the party’s performance in Punjab as a “revolution”.
15:24 pm: Former Uttarakhand CM and senior Congress leader Harish Rawat has lost to BJP candidate Mohan Singh Bisht by over 14,000 votes in his Lalkuan constituency.
15:10 pm: ‘Rashan, bhashan, kada prashasan’ were Yogi’s themes in jobless UP. BJP added emotion to the mix. What worked is that the BJP under Modi, Amit Shah and Adityanath have spun the aspiration of the people into something they feel but not see, writes ThePrint Opinion Editor Rama Lakshmi.
14:40 pm: “Punjab is yours. Parkash Badal, Sukhbir Badal, Amarinder Singh, Channi have lost, Sidhu & Majithia are losing,” says Bhagwant Mann.
14:30 pm: Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi is trailing by 33,554 votes in Bhadaur. There is also a tough contest in his main seat, Chamkaur Sahib.
14:20 pm: Former ED joint director Rajeshwar Singh wins from Lucknow’s Sarojini Nagar constituency by defeating SP’s Abhishek Mishra by 12,400 votes. Read the profile of the cop-turned-BJP candidate, here.
14:17 pm: BJP candidate Aditi Singh in leading from Rae Bareli seat, which is the Parliamentary seat of Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi.
14:10 pm: In UP’s Suar, SP leader Azam Khan’s son, Abdullah Azam Khan, is leading by over 39,000 votes in Suar assembly, securing 60% of the ballot.
14:00 pm: BJP and Congress have won one seat each in Punjab, while AAP has won in 8 constituencies.
13:50 pm: There are many factors that have contributed to the rise of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab. For one, AAP convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal must thank the Gandhis. Here are the 3 things APP got right in Punjab this time, starting with Bhagwant Mann for CM.
13:45 pm: Comedian Bhagwant Mann set to be Punjab’s first AAP CM, faces 3 broad challenges. Read here.
13:30 pm: Sidhu Moose Wala, Punjabi singer-songwriter and Congress candidate from Mansa, trails by over 44,000 votes.
13:15 pm: Asha Singh, mother of Unnao rape victim and Congress candidate from the constituency, has so far won only 355 votes, according to EC data. BJP’s Pankaj Gupta leads with more than 50% vote share.
13:10 pm: JD(U) has opened its account in Manipur as results were declared in the Tipaimukh seat (reserved hill constituency).
13:05 pm: BJP Hathras candidate Anjula Singh Mahaur is comfortably leading in the constituency with a margin of more than 18,000 votes. In September 2020, a rape case and alleged police inaction had roused a lot of anger against the ruling party.
13:00 pm: Punjab Chief Minister and Congress candidate Charanjit Singh Channi is trailing in both constituencies — Bhadaur and Chamkaur Sahib, according to the latest ECI data.
12:55 pm: Amarinder Singh heading for defeat in Patiala. According to Election Commission, the former Punjab chief minister is trailing by 14,000 votes.
12:30 pm: Trends in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab
12:30 pm: Congress’ Navjot Singh Sidhu congratulates AAP on their performance in Punjab.
AAP’s Jeevan Jyot Kaur was ahead of Sidhu and Bikram Majithia from Amritsar East seat.
The voice of the people is the voice of God …. Humbly accept the mandate of the people of Punjab …. Congratulations to Aap !!!
— Navjot Singh Sidhu (@sherryontopp) March 10, 2022
12:27 pm: Former Punjab CM and Akali Dal patron Parkash Singh Badal trailing on Lambi seat in Punjab by a margin of more than 7,000 votes. AAP’s Gurmeet Singh Kudian leading in the constituency.
12:15 pm: Mayawati’s BSP gets a big poll drubbing across UP, Punjab and Uttarakhand, faces an existential crisis.
12:00 pm: The verdict in Uttar Pradesh — in the backdrop of the pandemic that cost thousands of lives and caused enormous economic hardships, as also the year-long farmers’ agitation — comes as a revalidation of Brand Modi. Although the BJP had chief ministers in the four states it is leading in, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the party’s face. It also puts to rest scepticism about his impact on assembly polls. Read the report by ThePrint’s Political Editor D.K. Singh.
11:52 am: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami trailing by 40 votes in Khatima after 3rd round of counting while Congress’ Harish Rawat is almost 5,000 votes behind his BJP rival in Lalkuan.
11:50 am: In Manipur, state minister and former NPP leader Letpao Haokip, who had defected to BJP, is trailing on the Tengoupal seat by a margin of 7,557 votes.
11:45 am: Manohar Parrikar’s son Utpal trails on former CM’s turf in Panaji, BJP likely to retain seat. Read more here.
11:30 am: Azad Samaj Party’s Chandra Shekhar Azad ‘Ravan’, who is contesting against UP CM Yogi Adityanath, has managed to garner 133 votes as against Yogi’s 5,540 from Gorakhpur Urban Assembly constituency.
11:25 am: Swami Prasad Maurya, Dharam S Saini and Dara S Chauhan are trailing in Uttar Pradesh.
11:20 am: Malvika Sood, Sonu Sood’s sister and Congress candidate from Moga, is trailing by over 6,000 votes, according to ECI. Aam Aadmi Party’s Amandeep Kaur Arora leading in the constituency.
11:15 am: Samajwadi Party’s Azam Khan is leading by a big margin from Rampur seat. He is ahead by over 77% votes, according to the ECI website.
11:00 am: BJP leading in four states while AAP is leading Punjab
10:40 am: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath leads in Gorakhpur. If he wins, he will end up becoming the only chief minister of the state to get a renewed mandate after serving a full term in office.
10:30 am: Trends in five states
10:00 am: Early poll trends indicate that BJP is leading in 227 seats. According to EC, the party is leading with 43 per cent vote share in Uttar Pradesh while SP has got 30.7 per cent votes, BSP has clinched 13 per cent votes.
CNN News 18 trends show BJP also getting a majority in Goa, Uttarakhand and Manipur.
09:55 am: AAP leads in 84 seats in Punjab, EC shows.
09:35 am: AAP is leading in 64 out of 117 seats in Punjab, crossing the majority mark. BJP is racing ahead in UP, trends show.
09:25 am: According to the Election Commission website, BJP is leading in 5 seats in Goa, Congress is ahead in one seat and Independent candidates are leading in two seats.
09:20 am: In Punjab, initial leads show AAP leading in Firozpur rural, Kharar, Lehera, Dharamkot & Attari seats.
BSP leading in Kartarpur seat, BJP is ahead in Mukerian seat. Akali Dal is seen leading in Tarn Taran and Bholath seats.
09:00 am: As per initial trends former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh is trailing in Patiala.
Singh, who launched his own political party — Punjab Lok Congress — after quitting the Congress has stitched an alliance with the BJP and the Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa-led SAD (Sanyukt).
08:45 am: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav says, “we are still to test our courage, the time has now come for ‘decisions'”.
इम्तिहान बाकी है अभी हौसलों का
वक़्त आ गया है अब ‘फ़ैसलों’ का
मतगणना केंद्रों पर दिन-रात सतर्क और सचेत रूप से सक्रिय रहने के लिए सपा-गठबंधन के हर एक कार्यकर्ता, समर्थक, नेतागण, पदाधिकारी और शुभचितंक को हृदय से धन्यवाद!
‘लोकतंत्र के सिपाही’ जीत का प्रमाणपत्र लेकर ही लौटें!
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) March 10, 2022
08:40 am: UP minister from Varanasi Neelkanth Tiwari is trailing in initial trends, while MP Azam Khan and his son, Abdullah Azam Khan, are leading from Rampur and Suar assembly constituency seats on SP tickets.
08:30 am: Initial trends show incumbent Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Channi leading in both the seats he is contesting from.
08:20 am: Initial leads show Akali Dal’s Bikram Majithia leading against Congress’ Navjot Singh Sidhu in Punjab’s Amritsar East seat.
08:15 am: Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra rules out the question of EVM tampering, saying the machines are sealed in the presence of political party agents.
“When questions were raised by some parties, we showed them the number displayed on that EVM. It didn’t match with EVMs that were sealed and kept in the strong room for counting. They were satisfied after this. No EVM on which votes are cast can be taken out from the strong room,” he says.
08:00 am: Counting begins in all five states — Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.
07:50 am: Congress seeks appointment with Goa governor at 3 pm today. All Congress candidates in the states had been brought to a resort in South Goa Tuesday, ostensibly for Digambar Kamat’s birthday party. They were then shifted to a resort in North Goa Wednesday.
12:30 am: A day before the counting of votes began, BJP leaders Wednesday held a meeting of all party candidates in Goa. The winning candidates were asked to gather at the party office at 4 pm Thursday.
12:00 am: Election Commission of India Wednesday deputed special officers to supervise the counting of votes in Meerut and Varanasi as opposition parties raised complaints about alleged irregularities in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.