Election Results 2019: Modi magic sweeps Lok Sabha, opposition crushed | Highlights

Australian PM, Israeli PM, French President, Maldives President, Sri Lankan PM, Mauritius PM called PM Narendra Modi to congratulate him. This comes after written congratulatory messages were sent earlier.

As the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) looks set for a second term with leads in 340 seats so far, India Inc rushed in with congratulatory messages for the Prime Minister and also listed the challenges the new government will face along with necessary steps to be taken.

Sandip Somany, President of FICCI said continuity and stability at the Centre would enhance chances of more economic reforms along with an increasingly stabilising Goods and Services Tax (GST), Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) and the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act.

"There is an urgent need to bring investments on track and boost consumption to better GDP growth from the current around 7 per cent level, which will help in generating more jobs and take care of the rural distress," Somany said.

"2014 se 2019 aate aate secularism ki jamaat ne bolna bandh kar diya. Is chunaav mein eik bhi rajnaitik dal secularism ka naqaab pehen kar janta ko gumrah nahin kar paaya," Modi says.

"I was busy today. So I couldn't pay attention to results. I don't have much information about it. But I was briefed by party president [Amit Shah]. I'll see it in detail. But from what he told me, I think political pundits will now have to change their 20th century thinking," PM Modi adds.

"If someone has won, it's Hindustan. It's democracy that has won. It's public that has won. And therefore, all BJP and NDA people with humility dedicate this victory to the people of the nation. I congratulate all the winners, no matter from which party or which region they contested," PM Modi says.

"This election saw the highest turnout since Independence, and that too in 40-42 degrees Celsius heat; this shows the commitment of our citizens," PM Modi says.

"Aaj svayam Meghraaj bhi iss vijay utsav mein shareek hone ke liye hamaare beech hain," PM Modi says, as it is raining in the national capital.

Before PM Modi can speak, we hear chants of 'Modi, Modi'...

"Aap aayiye, naye Bharat ki neenv rakhiye..." Amit Shah tells PM Modi

Is a speech by a BJP leader ever complete without chants of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'?

"Modiji is the 'mahanayak' of the BJP's grand victory. BJP's victory is most historical after Independence. This is victory of every workers of the party. This is victory of BJP government's policy of the 'Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas' and ofcourse, it is victory of popularity of Modiji," Amit Shah says.

"We thank people who have supported us. This would be the end of dynastic politics," he adds.

"It is the victory of sabka saath, sabka vikas," Amit Shah says.

"Even after so much violence and rigging, BJP won 18 seats in West Bengal. It tells that in coming days, BJP will establish its might in West Bengal," Shah adds.

"Today's result is against the expectations and sentiments of people. Anyway, when all the institutions of the country start bending their knees before the government, the public has to take a stand," Mayawati tells ANI.

"Vishwa ke sabse lokapriya neta hain Modijee..." Amit Shah says.

The victory walk is continuing with flower petals being showered on Modi and Shah.

Chants of 'Modi, Modi' are enthusing the air outside the party office.

PM Modi is about to address the sea of people gathered outside the party office.

Present on the stage are Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Rajnath Singh.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flashes victory sign as he walks with BJP chief Amit Shah along the boundary of the party office in New Delhi.

"Election Commission must show their independence. EVMs ki rigging nahin huyi hai, Hindu mind ki rigging ho chuki hai," AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi says.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar says he is happy with the way people decided to side with the NDA.

Congress spokerperson Randeep Surjewala has refuted reports of Rahul Gandhi's resignation.

From what sources tell us, Rahul Gandhi has offered to resign as the president of Congress.

"Frankly, today is the not the day to discuss what I think went wrong because people of India have clearly decided that Narendra Modi is going to be their Prime Minister and as an Indian I respect that," Rahul Gandhi said.

Addressing the media, Congress President Rahul Gandhi congratulates Union Minister Smriti Irani for her victory in Amethi parliamentary constituency. 

Rahul Gandhi addresses media, says, "I would not like to comment further, but only congratulate PM Narendra Modi for his victory in this election."

"I would appeal to my party workers to not lose hope, we will continue to fight on our ideologies," the Congress chief says.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi addresses the media. 

"I had said that the people of the country are the deciders and today they have given their mandate. I would like to congratulate PM Narendra Modi for his victory in this election," says Rahul Gandhi. 

"Our fight is of ideologies, one is of the BJP and the second is ours. We accept our defeat in this election," he says. 

The BJP was heading for a landslide victory in Uttarakhand with its candidates consolidating huge leads in all the hill state's five seats as the counting of votes continued on Thursday.

In all the five seats, the BJP candidate were leading by over 2 to 3 lakh votes over their Congress rivals.

BJP state President Ajay Bhatt was leading by 3.17 lakh votes against Congress General Secretary and former Chief Minister Harish Rawat from Nainital seat, while in Tehri, Maharani Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah was leading by more than 2.91 lakh votes against state Congress chief Pritam Singh.

In Pauri, BJP national Secretary Tirath Singh Rawat has increased his lead to 2.84 lakh votes against Congress' Manish Khanduri, son of BJP stalwart B.C. Khanduri.

Heena Gavit of the BJP has won the Nandurbar Lok Sabha seat in Maharashtra by defeating her nearest Congress rival KC Padvi by a margin of 95,629 votes.

The BJP leader, who retained the seat, had defeated Congress' nine-time MP Manikrao Gavit in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

The BJP is leading in 22 other constituencies in the state, while its ally Shiv Sena is ahead in 18. The NCP is marching ahead in four seats while the
Congress, AIMIM and an NCP-backed Independent are leading in one seat each. 

As trends showed a saffron surge in Bengal, the residence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in south Kolkata's Kalighat wore a deserted look on Thursday with just a handful of Trinamool Congress supporters gathered outside.

The scene was no different at the party's state headquarters off EM Bypass in eastern part of the city.

Even though police had cordoned off the entire area outside Banerjee's house apprehending turnout of supporters, only a few were seen silently standing with newsmen outnumbering them.

The scene was grimmer at the EM Bypass office, as except guards and few policemen no TMC supporter or party leader could be seen.

"We didn't expect such a result in Bengal. Our party supremo Mamata Banerjee had given a call for winning 42 seats, we had hoped that we would improve our tally. But the results are completely unexpected. It seems we failed to gauge the strong undercurrent in Bengal," said a TMC leader, who did not wish to be named.

Independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh leading by 1,26,436 votes from Mandya (Karnataka)

Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil trailing

BJP supporters celebrate on Howrah bridge, West Bengal

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is trailing by over 1.8 lakh votes from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanks India for keeping faith in him.

"Thank you India! The faith placed in our alliance is humbling and gives us the strength to work even harder to fulfill people's aspirations. Salute every BJP Karyakarta for their determination, perseverance and hard work. They went home to home, elaborating on our development agenda," says the prime minister. 

Former PM and JD(S) chief HD Deve Gowda trailing from Tumkur (Karnataka) by 12,387 votes

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan congratulates Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his huge election victory. 

"I congratulate Prime Minister Modi on the electoral victory of BJP and allies. Look forward to working with him for peace, progress and prosperity in South Asia," Imran Khan said.

The first result in Uttar Pradesh went in favour of BJP's Akshyawar Lal in Bahraich, who defeated his nearest SP-BSP-RLD alliance nominee Shabbir Balmiki.

District Magistrate Shambhu Kumar said Lal defeated his nearest rival Shabbir Balmiki by a margin of over 1.28 lakh votes.

Lal polled 5,25,512 votes, while Balmiki got 3,96,843 votes.

Outgoing MP Savitri Bai Phule, who switched to the Congress from the BJP, got 34,383 votes. She stood third but failed to save her deposit.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao Thursday congratulated Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on his party BJD's victory in the Assembly elections.

"Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao in a message congratulated and conveyed his greetings to Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister of Odisha on his party's (BJD) victory in the Assembly elections," a release from Rao's office said.

BJD candidates were ahead in more than 100 of the 146 assembly seats in Odisha for which polling was held in four phases.

BJP's Pragya Singh Thakur leading by 298185 votes from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh

Congress' Digvijay Singh trailing

Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia trailing by 1,26,082 votes from Guna in Madhya Pradesh

Punjab: Actor Sunny Deol meets supporters in Gurdaspur after trends show that he is leading from the constituency.

Sunny Deol meets supporters in Gurdaspur

Prime Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Xuan Phuc writes a congratulatory message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina sends a congratulatory message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Maharashtra Congress Committee President Ashok Chavan is trailing from Nanded (Maharashtra) by 32410 votes

After Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, Narendra Modi is the third prime minister of the country who has been able to retain power for a second term with full majority in Lok Sabha.

As counting goes on across the country on Thursday, trends show the Modi-led BJP would be easily able to cross the halfway mark of 272 seats in the 17th Lok Sabha elections.

In 2014, the BJP had won 282 seats out of total 543 in Lok Sabha.

Jawaharlal Nehru won around three-fourth of the Lok Sabha seats in the first elections in the country during 1951-52. Subsequently, he was able to win 1957 elections as well as 1962 elections with full majority.

Since the elections were happening for the first time in independent India in 1951, the polling had to be spread over a period of five months from October 1951 to February 1952.

While the Congress hegemony was insurmountable in 1951, various other political strands such as Bhartiya Jana Sangh, Kisaan Mazdoor Praja Party, Scheduled Caste Federation and Socialist Party had started to take shape by then.

Bihar: Celebrations at BJP office in Patna

Celebrations at BJP office in Patna

Karnataka: Celebrations at BJP office in Bengaluru

Celebrations in Bengaluru

After leading in over a dozen rounds of counting, Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad's elder daughter Misa Bharti is now trailing from the Patliputra Lok Sabha seat in Bihar.

Union Cabinet meeting to be held tomorrow

Kerala: Celebrations rock Wayanad. Congress President Rahul Gandhi is leading by 8,38,371 votes.

Celebrations rock Wayanad

Congress President Rahul Gandhi likely to address media at 5:30 pm

The Shiv Sena Thursday lavished praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the BJP-led NDA appeared to be retaining power comfortably, saying nobody would be able to pose a challenge before him for the next 25 years.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led party had often criticized the BJP in the last five years but eventually sealed a fresh alliance with it ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

Sena MP Sanjay Raut said that people had given a befitting reply to opposition parties who created "an atmosphere of illusion" against Modi over issues such as the Rafale fighter jet deal.

The Opposition Congress led-UDF in Kerala appears to be heading for a landslide in the state by continuing its lead in 19 of the total 20 Lok Sabha
seats, with AICC President Rahul Gandhi so far garnering over 3.63 lakh votes from Wayanad.

Gandhi, who contested from the hilly constituency, besides his traditional stronghold of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, got 3,63,202 votes till 3.40 PM, as per the Election Commission website.

Besides Gandhi, eight UDF candidates-  Ramya Haridas (Alathur), Hibi Eden (Ernakulam), Dean Kuriyakose (Idukki), Benny Behnan (Chalakkudy) (all Congress), IUML leaders ET Mohammed Basheer (Ponnani) and PK Kunhalikutty (Malappuram), Thomas Chazhikadan of KC(M) (Kottayam) and NK Premachandran of RSP (Kollam) have crossed the one-lakh-mark.

For the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF, which appears to have suffered a massive loss, the only consolation was its performance in Alappuzha constituency, where MLA AM Ariff is ahead of his Congress rival Shanimol Osman by a margin of 13,043 votes at 3.30 PM.

Congress candidate from Mumbai North parliamentary constituency, Urmila Matondkar, congratulates Gopal Shetty

BJP supporters celebrate in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

BJP supporters celebrate in Dubai

BJP supporters celebrate in Perth, Australia

BJP supporters celebrate in Perth

We accept the result in Gulbarga, the verdict that people gave us, we are accepting it, says Mallikarjun Kharge

BJP's Jay Panda trailing by 45027 votes from Odisha's Kendrapara Lok Sabha constituency

The ruling BJP is set to make a clean sweep in Himachal Pradesh, as its candidates are leading with over 3.23 lakh votes on each of the four Lok Sabha seats - Mandi, Kangra, Hamirpur and Shimla, a state election officer said.

In Kangra, BJP candidate Kishan Kapoor is leading by 4.66 lakh votes over Congress' Pawan Kajal.

In 2014, former chief minister Shanta Kumar had won the seat. But this time BJP dropped the veteran leader and gave a ticket to its state Cabinet minister Kishan Kapoor.

Sitting BJP MP Anurag Thakur is leading by 3.84 lakh votes in Hamirpur over his nearest rival Ram Lal Thakur of the Congress.

In Shimla, BJP's Suresh Kashyap is leading by 3.23 lakh votes over Col Dr Dhani Ram Shandil of the Congress.

In 2014, Virender Kashyap of the BJP had won the seat, but this time the party fielded Pachhad MLA Suresh Kashyap in his place.

In a shock to the Shiv Sena, party strongman and Union Minister Anant Geete was trounced by Nationalist Congress Party's Sunil Tatkare in Raigad constituency of Maharashtra on Thursday.

Geete secured 4,18,855 votes against Tatkare's over 4,33,918 votes, but lost a chance to make a hat-trick in the erstwhile Congress bastion.

In Solapur, former chief minister and Congress veteran Sushilkumar Shinde, who secured 2,38,176 votes, lost to BJP's Mahaswami Jaisidheshwar Shivachary, who got 3,49,372 votes.

Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA)'s Prakash Ambedkar -- grandson of the architect of the Constitution B.R. Ambedkar - stood third with around 1,08,298 votes.

With around 2,37,733 votes, Ambedkar was also trailing in Akola, behind BJP's Sanjay S. Dhotre, who scored 4,63,755 votes.

In the first result from the country's commercial capital, BJP's Manoj Kotak was declared the winner from Mumbai North-East. Securing over 5,12,437 votes, Kotak defeated his main NCP rival Sanjay Dina Patil, who got around 2,86,962 votes.

From Ahmednagar, Sujay Vikhe-Patil, son of former Congress Leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, trounced his nearest NCP rival Sangram A. Jagtap. Sujay Vikhe-Patil secured over 5,88,094 votes, while Jagtap got around 3,49,934 votes.

As the BJP heads for a clean sweep in the Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot Thursday said the people's mandate has to be accepted.

"We accept the people's mandate with humility. Congress has always worked to build a strong democracy. I thank the people of the state and Congress workers for peaceful participation in polling," Gehlot said. 

The chief minister said the party workers worked hard to take policies, principles and programs of the Congress under the leadership of party president Rahul Gandhi to people but they need not get disheartened. 

Gehlot said the country was supreme for the Congress, whereas for the BJP coming into power was more important.

The Congress president fought the elections on issues of public welfare and development but Narendra Modi flouted the Election Commission's model code of conduct and polarised the elections in the name of religion, caste and army's valour, Gehlot said. 

He said Modi did not answer questions on the election promises made in 2014, whereas the Congress sought votes for development and public welfare.

BJP in Karnataka has posted its first victory with its candidate from Haveri CS Udasi trouncing Congress' D R Patil by a margin of 1,40,882 votes,
Election commission said on Thursday. While Udasi, who was an MP in the last Lok Sabha, secured 6,83,660 votes, Patil got 5,42,778 votes.

In the 2014 Lok Sabaha polls, Udasi had won against Saleem Ahmed of Congress by a margin of 87,571 votes.

According to trends available with the Election Commission,BJP in Karnataka was racing ahead of the ruling Congress-JDScoalition by leading in 23 out of total 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

Congress was ahead in two seats and JD(S) in one, with trends available so far, indicating that the alliance between the two parties may not have worked.

Rahul Gandhi is heading for a record-breaking margin against his nearest rival CPIs PP Suneer in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency on Thursday,
as roads in front of counting centres in this hill town wore a deserted look.

As counting progressed, Gandhi established a lead of over three lakh votes, probably the biggest margin in the Lok Sabha elections in the state.

Local leaders assembled at the DCC office and burst crackers in anticipation of the big win and shouted slogans congratulating the Congress chief.

However, there was a palpable sense of disappointment with the Congress-led UPA's poor show in other States with senior leaders trailing according to the latest trends.

Gandhi is contesting a second seat from the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency nestled in the Western Ghats, besides his traditional bastion of Amethi.

Senior BJP leader LK Advani congratulates Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah on sweeping most of India. 

"Heartiest congratulations to Shri Narendrabhai Modi for steering the BJP towards this unprecedented victory in the elections. Shri Amitbhai Shah as the BJP President and all the dedicated workers of the party have put in enormous effort in making sure that the message of BJP reaches every voter of the country."

"It is such a wonderful feeling that in a country as large and diverse as India, the electoral process has been so successfully completed and for that, my compliments to the electorate and all the agencies involved. May our great nation be blessed with a bright future ahead."

Sensex ends 298.82 points lower at 38,811.39; Nifty slips 80.85 pts to 11,657.05

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulates YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on his victory in Andhra Pradesh.

BJP President Amit Shah arrives at party Headquarters in Delhi

Amit Shah arrives at BJP headquarters

Congress President Rahul Gandhi leading by over 7,90,000 votes from Wayanad in Kerala 

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh addresses media in Chandigarh 

Celebrations rock BJP headquarters in Delhi

Celebrations at BJP headquarters 

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath congratulates Prime Minister Narendra Modi 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi leads by over 3.31 lakh votes from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh

The BJP appeared headed for a spectacular win in Karnataka, as trends showed it led in 24 of the 28 total Lok Sabha seats, leaving the ruling Congress-JD(S) alliance in a tizzy with worries over its stability.

Reflecting the coalition's woes, stalwarts Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge in Gulbarga and former Prime Minister and JDS supremo HD Deve Gowda in Tumkur were trailing their BJP rivals, Election Commission trends showed.

Congress was ahead in two seats and JD(S) in one, with trends available so far indicating that neither arithmetic nor chemistry worked for the two parties which apparently failed to reconcile with each other at the ground level.

An Independent candidate was leading in Mandya. Gowda was trailing by a margin of 28,499 votes in Tumkur, against BJP's GS Basavaraj.

UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi leads by over 95,000 votes from Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh

Prime Minister of Nepal, KP Sharma Oli congratulates Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his huge election victory. 

"I accept people's decision but this is also a fact that people had their doubts about EVMs," says Sharad Pawar

Amit Shah leading over Congress' CJ Chavda from Gandhinagar (Gujarat) with a margin of 5,11,180 votes.

King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck congratulates Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a telephonic conversation

Tamil film superstar Rajinikanth congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the BJP is set to make a thumping return to power in the Lok Sabha
elections.

"Respected dear @narendramodi ji hearty congratulations... You made it!!! God bless", the 69-year-old actor tweeted.

The BJP alone is leading in 300 seats, according to the latest Election Commission statistics. Last year, Rajinikanth made a comment which appeared to back Modi, indicating the prime minister was a strong person.

"When 10 persons go against one person, who is stronger? Those 10 or the person they are aligning against? If 10 persons declared a war against one man, who is stronger?", he had said when asked about the possibility of a grand opposition alliance to take on Modi.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sends a congratulatory telegram to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in connection "with the convincing victory of the BJP at the general parliamentary elections."

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe congratulates Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a telephonic conversation

"India wins yet again," tweets Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

China's Xi Jinping congratulates Prime Minister Narendra Modi

BJP President Amit Shah congratulates party workers

Clashes erupt between BJP and CPI supporters in Bihar's Begusarai amid celebrations by BJP supporters 

NDPP's Sharingain Longkumer Thursday won the bypoll to the Aonglenden Assembly seat in Nagaland's Mokokchung district by 6,245 votes, officials said. Sharingain polled 8,607 votes, while his nearest candidate Alemjongshi, of the Congress, got 2,362 votes.

Total 10,589 votes were cast, Chief Electoral Officer Abhijit Sinha said.

The bypoll was necessitated following the death of sitting NDPP MLA Imtikumzuk last September.

The elections were held on April 11 along with the first phase of Lok Sabha polls. Aonglenden has a total of 12,436 voters, including 6,146 males and 6,290 females.

With Sharingain's win, NDPP has 20 members in the Assembly, BJP has 12, JD(U) 1 and Independent 1. Opposition NPF has 26 MLAs. 

The BJP has established a comfortable lead on 58 seats in Uttar Pradesh while the SP-BSP-RLD alliance is leading only on 21 seats. The Congress continues to lead only on the Rae Bareli seat where UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi is a candidate.

In Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is leading by over 2.5 lakh votes. His nearest rival is SP's Shalini Yadav as Congress' Ajay Rai is a very distant third.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh was way ahead of SP candidate Poonam Sinha in Lucknow.

In Amethi, Smriti Irani continued to lead over Congress President Rahul Gandhi.

Bhojpuri actor and BJP candidate Ravi Kishan was leading by over one lakh votes in Gorakhpur after five rounds.

In Azamgarh, Samajwadi president Akhilesh Yadav was leading over his nearest rival Dinesh Lal Yadav Nirahua of BJP.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant congratulates Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP President Amit Shah for pulling off a "spectacular" win in the 2019 general elections.

Union Minister Smriti Irani leading over Rahul Gandhi by 11,226 votes from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh 

BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad leading over Congress' Shatrughan Sinha from Patna Sahib (Bihar) with a margin of 144249 votes.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi trails by 11,000 votes from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh

Badminton star Saina Nehwal congratulates Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his huge win. 

Legendary singer Asha Bhosle congratulates Prime Minister Narendra Modi 

TMC Candidate from Asansol, Moon Moon Sen reacts to present trends, she is trailing against BJP candidate Babul Supriyo by over 65,000 votes. 

The BJP has gained unassailable lead in nine of the ten Lok Sabha seats in Haryana and the fight appears to be only for the Rohtak seat now where Congress' sitting MP Deepender Singh Hooda was putting up a challenge to the saffron party candidate.

If the BJP wins nine or even the tenth seat, it will be the party's best-ever performance, surpassing the previous best in 2014 when it won seven of the eight it contested.

In 1999, when it was in alliance with the Indian National Lok Dal, the BJP had won five seats while the remaining five were won by its ally.

Rohtak was witnessing a see-saw contest between sitting MP Deepender Singh Hooda, who after leading with a margin of more than 13,000 votes at one stage over BJP's Arvind Sharma, was now trailing by over 4500 votes, as per trends available with the Election Commission.

In the remaining nine seats, BJP candidates including five of its sitting MPs—two of them union ministers—were leading by margins ranging between 1 and 4 lakh.

BJP now leading on 301 seats

Congress on leading 50 seats

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti congratulates Prime Minister Narendra Modi and says "it's time for Congress to get an Amit Shah." 

Alleging interruptions in the counting of votes for bypolls to Tamil Nadu's 22 seats, the DMK on Thursday wrote to the Election Commission of India (ECI) threatening to approach the High Court if the poll body failed to intervene and ensure transparency in the process.

According to the DMK, in many of the counting centres for the bypolls, the authorities have abruptly stopped counting of votes as the ruling AIADMK candidates are trailing behind the DMK candidates.

In a letter written to the Chief Election Commissioner and the Chief Electoral Officer of Tamil Nadu, the DMK said: "We have strong reasons to believe that the Returning Officers have been instructed to bring results in favour of the ruling AIADMK party and therefore they are in the process of manipulating the counting procedure. If you fail to intervene forthwith, we would be constrained to move the Hon'ble High Court."

According to the DMK, it had information that reporters authorised by the ECI to be present inside counting centres for the Assembly bypolls, were being forcibly evicted in collusion with AIADMK members.

Modi wave seems to be sweeping Rajasthan with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leading in 24 out of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state as counting of votes progressed on Thursday.

This is a major debacle for the Rahul Gandhi-led Congress, which had managed to form government in the state a few months back, stoking hopes of a better performance in the parliamentary elections.

As per the trends shown by the Election Commission (EC) till 1 p.m., BJP candidates were leading in 24 constituencies while the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) nominee was ahead on one seat. The RLP is an ally of the BJP. 

Subhash Baheria, BJP candidate from Rajasthan's Bhilwara parliamentary seat leading by 6,07,233 votes over his nearest rival of Congress.

The Congress headquarters in the capital wore a deserted look on Thursday with counting trends showing only a marginal improvement in the partys tally from the previous Lok Sabha elections.

Senior party leaders were conspicuous by their absence as the trends showed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead on 298 seats while the Congress was leading in 52 seats, as per the Election Commission website. Congress spokespersons present at the party headquarters were also keen to know the trends to firm up before giving their opinion.

Some Congress workers who gathered outside the party office blamed the trends of the results on the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). They also held a protest carrying placards demanding that EVMs should not be used in elections.

Earlier in the morning, some party workers performed a "havan" outside the party office, praying that the day will bring good results for the party. 

UP Chairperson Sonia Gandhi leaves from Congress President Rahul Gandhi's residence in Delhi. 

Sonia Gandhi leaves from Rahul Gandhi's residence

West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee congratulates winners. 

"Congratulations to the winners. But all losers are not losers. We have to do a complete review and then we will share our views with you all. Let the counting process be completed fully and the VVPATs matched," she tweeted. 

Maharashtra: All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen leader Imtiyaz Jaleel leading from Aurangabad by over 35,000 votes 

Celebrations broke out in the ranks of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) across Andhra Pradesh on Thursday as counting trends showed the party heading for a landslide victory to wrest power from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu congratulates Prime Minister Narendra Modi, says, "will continue to strengthen our friendship between India and Israel".

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah with a lead of 57,000 votes, is all set to win the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat in Jammu and Kashmir for the fourth time.

"The National Conference candidate (Abdullah) has taken an unassailable lead of 57,000 votes over the nearest rival, PDP candidate (Aga Syed Mohsin)," an election official said.

He said the final margin of Abdullah's victory will be announced when all the votes have been counted.

This will be the fourth win in a Lok Sabha election for the 83-year-old three time former chief minister, who has so far lost an election only once in his 42-year political career since his debut in 1980.

Abdullah was first elected as member of Lok Sabha in 1980.

However, he returned to state politics in the wake of failing health of his father and National Conference leader Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah in 1981.
He succeeded as chief minister of the state in September 1982 following his father's death.

The AAP on Thursday congratulated the BJP for its victory and said it hopes that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would do "good work" in his future tenure.

The BJP was leading in all the seven seats in the national capital, with three of its candidates ahead by over one lakh votes, while the Congress and the AAP were trailing at the second spot in five and two seats respectively.

"In democracy, mandate of the people is considered to be very powerful. We respect the mandate of India and congratulate the BJP for its victory. We offer Prime Minister Narendra Modi best wishes for his future tenure. We hope he would do good work in his future tenure," Aam Aadmi Party spokesperson Saurabh Bharwaj said.

Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari, who contested from the Northeast Delhi constituency against Congress veteran and former chief minister Sheila Dikshit and AAP's Dilip Pandey, was leading with a maximum margin of over 1.29 lakh votes. 

BJP candidate Locket Chatterjee is leading from Hooghly constituency, where TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee launched her anti-land acquisition agitation in Singur, which catapulted her into the national spotlight.

Chatterjee was leading by over 64,000 votes over Trinamool Congress candidate Ratna De, according to the latest Election Commission trends.

In 2014, De had won the seat by 1,89,084 votes.

NC President Farooq Abdullah takes unassailable lead of 55,000 votes in Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency over PDP candidate Aga Mohsin.

As many as 21 out of the 24 BJP candidates are leading by a margin of over one lakh votes, with one having established a lead of more than 4 lakh votes in the trends available so far.

The saffron party contested on 24 seats leaving one seat to its alliance partner, who is also ahead.

BJP's Subhas Chand Baheria (Bhilwara) is leading with a margin of 4,45,082 votes

PP Chaudhary (Pali), Devji Patel (Chittorgarh) and Diya Kumari (Rajsamand) are surging ahead with a margin of 3,00,982, 3,12,151 and 3,01,872 votes respectively.

Bhagirath Chaudhary (Ajmer) Balak Nath (Alwar), Kailash Chaudhary (Barmer), Nihal  Chand (Ganganagar), Rajyavardhan Rathore (Jaipur Rural), Dushyant Singh (Jhalawar-Baran) are leading with a margin of more than 2 lakh votes.

Kanakmal Katara (Banswara), Rajita Koli (Bharatpur), Arjun Ram Meghwal (Bikaner), Rahul Kaswan (Churu), Ramcharan Bohra (Jaipur), Devji Patel (Jalore), Narendra Kumar (Jhunjhunu), Gajendra Singh Shekhwat (Jodhpur), Om Birla (Kota), Sumedhanand (Sikar), Arjun Lal Meena (Udaipur) are leading with a margin of more than 1 lakh votes, according to officials.

With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) appearing set to retain power with a clean majority, Union Minister Suresh Prabhu on Thursday said the people's verdict was a culmination of policies adopted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Speaking to mediapersons outside his residence, Prabhu also praised BJP President Amit Shah for increasing the party's base across the country.

"It is people's verdict. They have brought Modiji back for their better future," he said.

"Be it West Bengal, Odisha... there is no state in the country where the BJP has not won. The BJP's power has increased," he added.

Prabhu said the fight was between the opposition parties and Modi alone, but the Prime Minister had the support of the people in the country.

"Modiji brought new policies and implemented them with dedication. Today's results reflect that. Also Amit Shahji's efforts to turn the party into a public movement has helped it," the BJP leader said and added: "With this victory, our responsibility to do good work has increased."

People of India have once again given Modi ji a chance to lead the country: BJP's Himanta Biswa Sarma

The National Conference is leading on three Lok Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir, while the BJP has opened huge leads in two constituencies of the state.

Former chief minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti is trailing at the third spot in the Anantnag Lok Sabha seat, where the NC's Hasnain Masoodi is leading and Congress state president G A Mir is in second place.

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah is leading by 48,000 votes over the PDP's Aga Mohsin.

Union minister and BJP leader Jitendra Singh is leading by over 2.37 lakh votes over Congress candidate Vikramaditya Singh in Udhampur constituency. BJP's Jugal Kishore is leading by over 1.43 lakh votes against Raman Bhalla of the Congress from the Jammu seat.

In Ladakh constituency, journalist-turned-politician Sajjad Hussain and the BJP's J T Namgyal have exchanged leads several times since the counting began. Namgyal is leading by a margin of over 2,000 votes at the end of the latest round of counting.

YS Jaganmohan Reddy to take oath as Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister on May 30. 

BJPs Bhopal Lok Sabha seat candidate Pragya Singh Thakur, who recently kicked up a row with some of her remarks and was observing silence for 63 hours as a mark of penance, Thursday broke the vow to express her elation over poll trends which showed her in the lead.

Thakur expressed happiness over the Lok Sabha poll trends which showed her ahead of her nearest Congress rival Digvijay Singh by over 90,000 votes.

"I am happy with the people's response," she told reporters at her home and waved to people and her supporters who were chanting "Jai Shri Ram".

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao's daughter K Kavitha trailing from Nizamabad

BJP candidate Dharmapuri Arvind leading by over 31,000 votes

After 25 years of uninterrupted run, the BJP on Thursday failed to retain the Panaji Assembly constituency, largely represented by late Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar since 1994.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Sidharth Kuncalienkar lost to Congress' Atanasio Monserrate by 1,758 votes. Monserrate polled 8,748 votes against Kuncalienkar's 6,990 votes. AAP's Valmiki Naik and Goa Suraksha Manch (GSM) candidate Subhash Velingkar polled 236 and 516 votes respectively.

However, BJP candidate Subhash Shirodkar won the Assemby bypoll for Shiroda constituency defeating Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party's Deepak Dhavalikar by 66 votes.

"This is a victory of the Congress party and a vote for the development. Panaji has been deprived of development for the past so many years," Monserrate said after the announcement of his victory.

The bypoll for the Panaji Assembly constituency was necessitated following the death of its MLA and Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar in March, after a prolonged battle with pancreatic cancer.

Maharashtra: Celebrations outside BJP office in Mumbai

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe tweets Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Congratulations to Narendra Modi on a magnificent victory! We look forward to working closely with you," he tweeted. 

The Congress was leading in eight parliamentary constituencies of Punjab while the Shiromani Akali Dal and BJP were leading in two Lok Sabha seats each, as per latest EC trends.

The Aam Aadmi Party was ahead in Sangrur. Punjab has 13 Lok Sabha seats.

The Congress was ahead in Amritsar, Faridkot, Anandpur Sahib, Jalandhar, Khadoor Sahib, Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib and Patiala seats while the Akali Dal is leading from Bathinda and Ferozepur seats.

From Khadoor Sahib seat, Congress candidate Jasbir Singh Dimpa was well ahead of SAD candidate and former SGPC chief Bibi Jagir Kaur with a margin of over 50,000 votes.

In Patiala, Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh's wife and Congress candidate Preneet Kaur is leading over her SAD candidate Surjit Singh Rakhra with a margin of over 38,000 votes.

From Amritsar seat, sitting MP and Congress candidate Gurjeet Singh Aujla is ahead of BJP candidate Hardeep Singh Puri with a margin of more than 27,000 votes.

Celebrations outside BJP office in Jaipur

Congress' Mumbai-North Lok Sabha seat candidate Urmila Matondkar on Thursday alleged that there was a mismatch in signatures on an electronic voting machine (EVM) form.

The actor, who was trailing against BJP's Gopal Shetty by over 1,45,991 votes, said a complaint was filed with the Election Commission in this connection.

"On the form of EVM 17C from Magathane, the signatures and the machine numbers are different. A complaint has been filed with the Election Commission," she said in a tweet.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading by 1,83,000 votes from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.

Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development and the BJP's candidate for Punjab's Amritsar Lok Sabha seat, Hardeep Singh Puri, has been trailing his rival and Congress candidate Gurjit Aujla, as per available trends.

Trends from Punjab 

Congress - 8

BJP - 2

SAD - 2

AAP - 1

Others - 0

Trends from West Bengal

Union Minister and BJP leader Babul Supriyo leading from Asansol

BJP's Arjun Singh leading from Barrackpore

TMC's Mimi Chakraborty leading from Jadavpur

West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress is leading on 24 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state while the BJP made stunning inroads, with an unprecedented saffron surge in 17 constituencies after three hours of counting on Thursday.

The Congress is leading in one constituency while the Left, which had ruled the state for decades, faced a washout.

Union Ministers Babul Supriyo and S.S. Alhuwalia were ahead in Asansol and Burdwan-Durgapur by establishing a substantial margin of votes.

According to the Election Commission, Supriyo was leading over his nearest rival Moon Moon Sen of Trinamool Congress by more than 50,000 votes.

Alhuwalia, the outgoing MP of Bengal's Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat, was ahead of Trinamool's sitting MP Mamtaz Sanghamita in Burwan-Durgapur.

In Malda, a traditional Congress bastion, the BJP was on top in both the parliamentary seats.

Decisions taken by Rahul Gandhi led to divisions within the opposition, CPI national secretary Atul Kumar Anjaan said Thursday and asserted that the policies of the Congress scion opened the doors for Narendra Modi's victory.

Riding on a massive Modi wave sweeping through most parts of India, the BJP was set to return to power Thursday as it led in 292 seats while the Congress trailed far behind with 50, according to trends released by the Election Commission for all 542 seats that went to polls.

"The BJP fought these elections on the basis of social and religious divisive policies and the agenda was set by them on this basis.But more significant is the fact that the unity of the opposition has been damaged by the Congress. The policies and decisions of Rahul Gandhi have weakened opposition unity, led to divisions and opened the doors for Modi's victory," the Communist Party of India national secretary said. 

Trends from Odisha - 

BJD leading on 94 seats

BJP on 28 seats

Congress on 12 seats

CPI-M on 1 seat, JMM on 1 seat

Independent on 1 seat

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu likely to tender his resignation later today.

West Bengal: Celebrations outside BJP office in Kolkata

Celebrations outside BJP office in Kolkata 

Trends from Andhra Pradesh - 

YSRCP leading on 149 seats

TDP leading on 25 seats

Janasena Party leading on 1 seat

Cheering to the slogans like 'Modi once again', 'Har Har Modi' and 'Vande Mataram', hundreds of BJP supporters burst into celebrations at the party headquarters in Delhi on Thursday as the Narendra Modi-led government appeared set to stage a thumping comeback.

With the Lok Sabha election trends showing an overwhelming majority for the BJP, the saffron party's supporters burst firecrackers and blew conch to express their happiness.

They danced to drum beats amid intense sloganeering.

Despite the Delhi Police barricading both sides of the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg Road where the BJP headquarters is located, enthusiastic supporters thronged the office as the favourable results trickled in.

Several of the BJP supporters came from neighbouring Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to be part of the celebrations in the national capital.

Most of the supporters were provided T-shirts and caps printed with "chowkidar phir se" and "main bhi chokidar" when they entered at the BJP headquarters.

All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen leader Asaduddin Owaisi leading by over 85,000 votes from Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency in Telangana. 

Trends on total 38 seats from Tamil Nadu - 

DMK - 22

Congress - 8

AIADMK - 2

CPI - 2

CPI(M) - 2

IUML - 1

PMK - 1

The BJP is leading in both the Lok Sabha seats in Tripura as per initial trends, election officials said Thursday.

BJP candidate Pratima Bhoumik of the West Tripura Lok Sabha seat has taken a comfortable lead of 1,22,865 votes against her nearest Congress rival Subal Bhowmik, they said.

In the East Tripura Lok Sabha seat, BJP candidate Rebati Tripura is leading by 1,08,983 votes against his nearest Congress rival Maharaj Kumari Pragya DebBurman, the officials added.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, the CPI(M) had won both the Lok Sabha seats in Tripura.

Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah is leading by over 2.5 lakh votes from Gandhinagar in Gujarat.

BJP candidate and Bollywood actor Sunny Deol is leading by more than 47,000 votes over his nearest rival and Congress nominee Sunil Jakhar from the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha seat in Punjab.

From the start of counting of votes at 8 am on Thursday, Deol has been maintaining a lead over Punjab Congress chief Jakhar.

Speaking to reporters, 59-year-old Deol, who is popular for playing patriotic roles in movies like 'Border' and 'Gadar', said he was ecstatic over the initial trends coming during the counting of votes.

“I am feeling good and I am very happy. Modiji is winning. I was confident that people of this constituency (Gurdaspur) love me a lot and will ensure my victory,” Deol said.

He said after winning, he would work for the people of Gurdaspur.

Jakhar, who is the sitting MP from Gurdaspur, had won the seat in a byelection in 2017 following the death of BJP MP and actor Vinod Khanna.
Khanna had remained MP from this seat four times in 1998, 1999, 2004 and 2014.

Union Minister General VK Singh leading by over 50,000 votes from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh

Bharatiya Janata Party supporters in Australia's Sydney and Melbourne celebrate as trends show party leading on 292 seats.

BJP supporters celebrate 

"This is the first election for a generation that opened its eyes in the 21st century, the millennium generation has voted and given a millennium mandate," says BJP's Sudhanshu Trivedi.

"I think we should wait for final results, the indications are now gradually settling down to same thing," he says. 

BJP's Jay Panda trailing by over 2000 votes from Kendrapara Lok Sabha constituency in Odisha

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and Union Minister Jitendra Singh are leading in their respective Lok Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir.

The NC is leading in Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag, while an Independent candidate is leading in Ladakh. BJP's Singh and Jugal Kishore Sharma are leading in Udhampur and Jammu.

According to election officials, Abdullah was leading over PDP candidate Aga Syed Mohsin by a margin of 32,975 votes in Srinagar, while Singh had a substantial lead of 1,70,944 votes over his Congress rival Vikramaditya Singh.

NC's Hasnain Masoodi was leading by a slim margin of 386 votes over Congress state president GA Mir in the Anantnag seat.

Sitting MP Jugal Kishore is leading over Congress candidate Raman Bhall by 1,07,326 votes in the Jammu seat.

Former MLA Sheikh Abdul Rashid is trailing by 11,644 votes in the Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency against NC's Mohammad Akbar Lone.

 In Ladakh, Independent candidate Sajad Hussain is leading with 4,723 votes over another Independent, Asgar Karbalie, according to officials.  

Union Minister of State for AYUSH and sitting BJP MP Shripad Yesso Naik is leading over his nearest rival and state Congress President Girish Chodankar by 11,587 votes from North Goa, election officials said.

In the South Goa Lok Sabha, former Chief Minister and Congress candidate Francisco Sardinha polled 48,778 votes against 38,770 votes received by his BJP rival and sitting MP Narendra Sawaikar.

In counting for the four Assembly by-polls, the Congress is leading from the Mapusa and Panaji constituencies while the BJP and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) are ahead in the Mandrem and Shiroda Assembly seats respectively.

BJP leader Sambit Patra leading by over 700 votes from Puri Lok Sabha constituency in Odisha 

Union Ministers Manoj Sinha and Maneka Gandhi trailing from Ghazipur and Sultanpur respectively in Uttar Pradesh

Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia trailing from Guna in Madhya Pradesh

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj congratulates Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he sweeps most of India 

The ruling BJP is surging ahead in all four Lok Sabha seats of Himachal Pradesh, with its candidates securing unassailable leads, according to latest Election Commission trends.

In Mandi, the sitting BJP MP Ram Swaroop is leading by over 154418 votes over his nearest rival Aashray Sharma of the Congress.

BJP candidate Kishan Kapoor was leading by 201699 votes over his nearest rival Pawan Kajal of Congress in Kangra, a state election officer said.

Sitting BJP MP Anurag Thakur is leading by over 201242 votes over his nearest rival Ram Lal Thakur of Congress in Hamirpur.

In Shimla, BJP candidate Suresh Kashyap is leading by 180491 votes over his nearest rival Dhani Ram Shandil of Congress.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat appeared way ahead of its rival, the Congress in all the 26 Lok Sabha seats after five rounds of counting of votes, with party President Amit Shah was leading in Gandhinagar with a margin of over 1 lakh votes.

Among the key trends, Shah and the BJP's Chhotaudepur tribal constituency candidate Geeta Rathwa were leading with 1 lakh votes each. In Jamnagar in Saurashtra, the BJP's Poonam Madam was leading by more than 50,000 votes.

The counting began at 8 a.m. amid tight three-layered security across the state, with personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force guarding the centres closely inside, while state police were deployed in two layers outside.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mother Heeraben Modi greets the media outside her residence in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. 

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is currently taking the lead in the two Lok Sabha constituencies of Arunachal Pradesh, as per the initial trends
of the Election Commission.

Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju is leading by 30548 votes in Arunachal West against his nearest rival Nabam Tuki of the Congress.

He had won the seat in 2014, defeating Takam Sanjoy of the Congress by a margin of 41738 votes. A total of 99 NOTA votes have been recorded in the constituency so far, according to an official.

In the Arunachal East seat, Tapir Gao of the BJP is leading by 13477 votes against his nearest rival Lowangcha Wanglat of the Congress.

The constituency has recorded 367 NOTA votes so far. In the last parliamentary elections, Congress candidate Ninong Ering had won the Arunchal East seat by a margin of 12478 votes. 

Trends from Punjab -

Congress' Manish Tewari leading from Anandpur Sahib

SAD's Harsimrat Kaur Badal leading from Bhatinda

Aam Aadmi Party's Bhagwant Mann leading from Sangrur

Kerala: Congress' Shashi Tharoor leading from Thiruvananthapuram by over 13,000 votes. 

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra leaves from Congress President Rahul Gandhi's residence in Delhi

Priyanka Gandhi leaves from Rahul Gandhi's residence

Official Election Commission state-wise leading trends till 11 am

Bihar (40 seats): BJP -15, JDU 16, LJP - 6, RJD - 1

Andaman Nicobar (1): BJP - 1

Andhra Pradesh (25): YSRCP 24, TDP - 1

Arunachal Pradesh (2): BJP - 2

Assam (14): BJP - 8, AGP - 2 , Congress - 1 , BPF - 1 , AIUDF - 2

Chandigarh (1): BJP - 1

Chhattisgarh (11): BJP - 9, Congress - 2

Dadra and Nagar Haveli (1): IND - 1

Daman and Diu (1): BJP - 1

Goa (2): BJP - 1, Congress - 1

Haryana (10): BJP - 10

Himachal Pradesh (4): BJP - 4

Jammu and Kashmir (6): BJP - 2 , IND - 2 , Congress - 1 , NC - 1

Jharkhand (14): BJP - 11, Congress - 2 , AJSU - 1

Karnataka (26): BJP - 23, IND 1 , Congress - 3 , JDS - 1

Kerala (20): Congress - 16, IUML - 2 , Kerala Congress - 1 , RSP - 1

Lakhshadweep (1): Congress - 1

Madhya Pradesh (29): BJP - 28, Congress - 1 

Maharashtra (48): BJP - 23, Shiv Sena - 19, NCP - 5, IND - 1

Manipur (2): BJP - 1 , NPF - 1

Meghalaya (2): Congress - 1 , NPF - 1

Mizoram (1): MNF - 1

Nagaland (1): NDPP - 1

Delhi (7): BJP - 7

Odisha (21): BJP - 7, BJD - 12

Puducherry (1): Congress - 1

Punjab (13): Congress - 8 , SAD - 2 , BJP -  2 , AAP - 1

Rajasthan (25): BJP - 24, RLP - 1

Sikkim (1): Sikkim Kranti Morcha - 1

Tamil Nadu (38): DMK - 22, Congress - 8 , AIADMK - 1 , CPI - 2, CPM - 2 , IUML - 1 , PMK - 1 , VCK - 1

Telangana (17): TRS - 9, Congress - 3, BJP - 4 , AIMIM - 1

Uttar Pradesh (80): BJP - 57, BSP - 12 , SP - 8, Congress - 1 , Apna Dal - 1 , Apna Dal Sonelal - 1

Uttarakhand (5): BJP - 5

West Bengal (42): TMC - 24, BJP - 17, Congress 1 

Official trends from the Election Commission 

BJP leading on 295 seats

Congress leading on 51 seats 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi heads towards a landslide victory and a government with clear majority. 

Congress President Rahul Gandhi is trailing by 4,500 votes from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh. 

The DMK led alliance has established initial leads in 36 of the 38 Lok Sabha seats that went for polls in Tamil Nadu, bucking the national trend that favours the BJP led alliance, as per the Election Commission of India.

In the Lok Sabha polls, prominent candidates of DMK and its allies like Congress, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), Communist Party of India (CPI) and others are leading over their respective rivals belonging to AIADMK led alliance.

As per the initial trends announced by the poll body, the DMK led alliance was leading in 36 Lok Sabha constituencies (DMK 22, Congress 8, CPIM- 2, CPI- 2, VCK-1, IUML-1).

On the other hand, the ruling AIADMK and alliance partner PMK were in lead in one seat each.

The BJP was leading in all the 10 seats in Haryana as per early trends available with the Election Commission. Union Ministers Rao Inderjit Singh and Krishan Pal Gurjar were ahead in Gurgaon and Faridabad respectively, maintaining a healthy lead over their nearest Congress rivals—Ajay Singh Yadav and Avtar Singh Bhadana respectively.

Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda of the Congress was trailing in Sonipat.

Hooda, a sitting MLA from Rohtak district who contested the Lok Sabha polls after a gap of 14 years, was trailing behind sitting MP Ramesh Chander Kaushik by a margin of nearly 15,000 votes, as per Election Commission trends.

The former CM's son and sitting MP from Rohtak Deepender Singh Hooda, who was earlier leading over his nearest BJP rival Arvind Sharma from Rohtak, was trailing in later rounds of counting.

In Karnal, BJP's Sanjay Bhatia secured a massive lead of nearly 75,000 votes over his nearest Congress rival Kuldeep Sharma.

In Amblala, BJP's sitting MP Rattan Lal Kataria was leading over his nearest Congress rival Kumari Selja by over 15,000 votes.

Sensex zooms over 900 points, crosses 40,000-mark as Prime Minister Narendra Modi heads towards a landslide victory. 

BJP President Amit Shah leading by over 1,25,000 votes from Gujarat's Gandhinagar.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters in Delhi at 5 pm today. 

Trends on total of 48 seats in Maharashtra 

BJP - 23

Shiv Sena - 19

Congress - 0

NCP - 5

AIMIM - 1

National Conference Party leading from Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir

Former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti currently at third place 

Trends from Chhattisgarh

BJP leading on 9 seats

Congress leading on 2 seats

Celebrations outside BJP office in Bengaluru

Celebrations outside BJP office in Bengaluru

Trends from Rajasthan

Congress leader Manvendra Singh trailing from Barmer

Union Minister Rajvardhan Rathore leading from Jaipur Rural 

Congress President Rahul Gandhi is leading in Wayanad in Kerala by over 58,000 votes after 12.20 per cent of the total votes had been counted.

While Gandhi was nearing 90,000 votes, his nearest rival P.P. Suneer of the Left has just got over 30,000 votes.

Trends on 40 seats from Bihar

BJP+ leading on 20 seats

JDU on 15 seats 

RJD on 5 seats 

Trends on 80 seats from Uttar Pradesh 

BJP+ on 54 seats 

SP+BSP on 24 seats 

Congress on 2 seats 

Trends from all 542 seats from across the country 

BJP+ leading on 325 seats

Congress+ on 118 seats 

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday appeared set to retain power as its candidates led in 229 of the 405 Lok Sabha seats from where counting trends were available, leaving the Congress far behind.

Good news for the BJP poured in from almost all parts of the Hindi heartland including Uttar Pradesh, where the SP-BSP alliance was expected to trip its path to victory, and neighbouring Bihar where it is allied with the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and others.

BJP's Smriti Irani was leading over Congress President Rahul Gandhi in Amethi although the latter was far ahead of his Left rival in Wayanad in Kerala.

Despite losing power last year to the Congress in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, the BJP was on the victory path in most Lok Sabha seats in the three states.

The BJP and its ally Shiv Sena were leading 16 seats in Maharashtra while the BJP and its allies had forged ahead in 13 constituencies in Bihar.

Bharatiya Janata Party is leading on all 7 seats in Delhi

The Congress is leading in eight out of total 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab while the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the BJP in two Lok Sabha seats each, as per the initial EC trends.

The BJP is leading in Gurdaspur and Hoshiarpur seats while the Aam Aadmi Party is leading from Sangrur seat in Punjab.

The Congress is leading in Amritsar, Faridkot, Anandpur Sahib, Jalandhar, Khadoor Sahib, Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib and Patiala seats while the Akali Dal is leading in Bathinda and Ferozepur seats.

Akali Dal candidate and sitting MP Prem Singh Chandumajra is trailing from Anandpur Sahib seat while Congress candidate Manish Tewari is leading by 2,561 votes.

Bollywood actor and BJP candidate Sunny Deol is leading against Congress candidate Sunil Jakhar from Gurdaspur.

BJP candidate Som Prakash is leading from Hoshiarpur (reserve) seat against his nearest rival and Congress candidate Raj Kumar Chabbewal by over 6,384 votes.

Trends from Odisha assembly elections

Biju Janata Dal leading on 16 seats

BJP leading on 5 seats

Tamil Nadu: Congress leader Karti Chidambaram is leading from Sivagangai.

Marching towards a landslide victory, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is now leading by 50,000 votes from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh

Union Minister and BJP candidate from West Bengal's Asansol Lok Sabha seat, Babul Supriyo is leading his nearest rival Trinamool Congress' Moon Moon Sen after one and half hours of vote counting.
 

AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi leading from Hyderabad in Telangana. 

Meanwhile, the ruling TRS in Telangana was ahead of its rivals in 11 Lok Sabha constituencies among the total 17, according to trends available from the Election Commission.

TRS nominee BB Patil was leading in Zaheerabad by 680 votes over his Congress nominee Madan Mohan, official sources said.

Union minister Kiren Rijiju is leading by 4490 votes against Khyoda Apik of the National People's Party (NPP) in Arunachal West Lok Sabha seat,
according to initial EC trends.

In 2014, he had defeated Takam Sanjoy of the Congress by a margin of 41738 votes to bag the seat.

In Arunachal East, BJP candidate Tapir Gao is leading by 614 votes against Independent candidate C C Singhpo.

In the last Lok Sabha elections, the seat was bagged by Ninong Ering of the Congress.

BREAKING 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading by over 20,000 votes from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh

BJP President Amit Shah leading by over 50,000 votes from Gandhinagar in Gujarat

Andhra Pradesh assembly elections trends

YSRCP leading on 35 seats

Telugu Desam Party leading on 6 seats

Sensex zooms over 700 points in early trade as NDA crosses majority mark; now ahead on 315 seats 

Trends from 505 seats 

BJP+ leading on 314 seats

Congress+ leading on 112 seats 

Neck-to-neck fight between TMC and BJP in West Bengal

TMC leading on 19 seats

BJP on 18 seats 

Election Commission official trends from Delhi - 

BJP leading on Chandni Chowk​, North West Delhi, South Delhi and West Delhi parliamentary seats out of 7 seats

BJP candidate and Union Minister Maneka Gandhi trailing from Sultanpur

Sonia Gandhi leading from Rae Bareli

Varun Gandhi leading from Pilibhit

Official trends from Election Commission 

BJP leading on 229 seats

Congress leading on 56 seats

Hema Malini leading from Mathura in Uttar Pradesh

BJP+ crosses 300 seat-mark, now ahead on 3014 seats from across the country; Congress+ on 101 

BJP's Shahnawaz Hussain​ talks to India TV 

"Congress and the Opposition always spoke against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, they are now seeing the country favouring the prime minister. Modi ji will return to power."

Dimple Yadav leading from Kannauj

Rajnath Singh leading by 10,000 votes from Lucknow

Jaya Prada leading from Rampur

Samajwadi Party leading from Etawah

Congress leading from Hoshiarpur

Sakshi Maharaj leading from Unnao 

Click Here for LIVE updates from Uttar Pradesh

Union Minister Rajnath Singh leading by 10,000 votes from Lucknow

Trends on 446 seats show BJP+ ahead on 280 seats, Congress on 95

BJP leader Giriraj Singh takes over CPI's Kanhaiya Kumar from Bihar's Begusarai 

PM Narendra Modi leading by 12,000 votes from Varanasi.

Official trends from the Election Commission 

BJP leading on 133 seats

Congress on 41 seats 

Union Minister Smriti Irani leading by 5,600 votes in Rahul Gandhi's parliamentary constituency Amethi, in Uttar Pradesh

Ravi Kishan leading by 3000 votes in Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh

Punjab: Counting of votes underway in Gurdaspur; BJP's Sunny Deol and Congress's Sunil Jakhar are contesting from the seat.

First hour of vote counting shows BJP+ leading on 201 seats, Congress+ on 80 

Dimple Yadav trailing from Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh

Union Minister Smriti Irani takes over Congress President with 2000 votes in Amethi in Uttar Pradesh

Jyotiraditya Scindia trailing from Guna in Madhya Pradesh

Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda trailing from Tumakuru in Karnataka 

Official trends from the Election Commission - 

BJP - 9 seats

Congress - 3 seats 

JDS - 1 

Mizo National Front - 1

NCP- 1

NDPP- 1

Shiv Sena- 1

BJP's Giriraj Singh leading from Begusarai in Bihar

Smriti Irani leading from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh

UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi leading from Rae Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh 

Congress President Rahul Gandhi leading from Wayanad in Kerala 

Sadhvi Pragya Thakur leading from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh 

Visuals from inside a counting centre in Chandigarh; Congress's Pawan Kumar Bansal, BJP's Kirron Kher and AAP's Harmohan Dhawan are contesting from the Lok Sabha seat. 

Counting center in Chandigarh

Initial trends show BJP+ leading on 90 seats, Congress+ on 25 from across the country

BJP+ now leading on 67 seats from across the country. 

Vasundhara Raje's son Dushyant leading from Jhalawar in Rajasthan. 

Neck-to-neck fight between BJP and Congress in Chhattisgarh.

Congress leading on 3 seats, BJP on 2 from the state. 

Delhi: Counting of votes underway at Siri Fort complex. 

Counting of votes underway in Delhi

Rahul Gandhi leading from Wayanad in Kerala 

Congress-led UPA leading on 7 seats across the country

Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA leading on 38 seats from across the country

Early trends from Bihar show BJP, RJD leading on 1 seat each 

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Early trends on India TV - 

BJP leading on 7 seats from Uttar Pradesh

Mahagathbandhan leading on 4

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BJP leading on 16 seats in West Bengal

TMC on 4 seats 

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Initial trends on India TV 

BJP's Anurag Sharma leading from Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh

BJP's Devendra Singh leading from Akbarpur in Uttar Pradesh

BJP leading on 9 seats in West Bengal

Uttarakhand: Visuals from a counting centre in Dehradun. Counting of votes begins. 

Counting of votes begins amidst high security.

The counting exercise is on in over 4,000 counting centres amid concerns raised by opposition parties over alleged tampering of EVMs. They have asked the Election Commission to ensure transparency in counting.

Election Commission officials said results are expected only by late evening.

Assam: Visuals from outside a counting centre in Guwahati, counting to begin at 8 am 

Counting center in Guwahati

Kerala: Visuals from outside a counting centre at Kalpetta, Wayanad. Rahul Gandhi is contesting from the Lok Sabha constituency. 

Counting center in Wayanad

"D-Day at last! Will it be D for Deliverance for the nation from 5 years of misgovernance, ineptitude & bigotry, or D for Disappointment & Despair for all who believe in Inclusive India, responsible governance, liberal social values & economic justice?" tweets Shashi Tharoor. 

Shashi Tharoor offers prayers

West Bengal: Visuals from a counting centre in Kolkata, counting of votes to begin at 8 am. 

Counting center in Kolkata

Uttar Pradesh: Actor Ravi Kishan, who is fighting on Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat, offers prayers. 

Ravi Kishan offers prayers in Gorakhpur

Rahul Gandhi will be elected as the prime minister, says Congress' Ajay Maken

"The results will be in the favour of Congress party and Rahul Gandhi will become the prime minister of the country. There is no triangular competition in Delhi," Ajay Maken said. 

"Narendra Modi will become the prime minister," says Umesh Jadhav, BJP candidate from Kalaburagi, Karnataka who is contesting against Congress' Mallikarjun Kharge. 

Samajwadi Party's Aziz Khan talks to India TV

"Unlike the BJP, we do not play politics on caste and religion. People of the country are not happy with the present BJP government and our alliance with the BSP is working for the justice of the society," he says. 

Telangana: Visuals from outside a counting centre in Hyderabad. 

"I am sure we will win. I am confident I will be able to contribute to legislation and policy-making in this country, says Tejasvi Surya, BJP candidate from Bengaluru South constituency."

Karnataka: JD(S) Hassan candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy offers prayers at Chamundeshwari Temple in Mysore. 

Nikhil Kumaraswamy offers prayers

Karnataka: Security outside a counting centre in Bengaluru.

Kerala: Kummanam Rajasekharan, BJP candidate from Thiruvananthapuram constituency offers prayer at Ayyaguru Ashram, Thycaud.​ Rajasekharan is fielded against Congress' Shashi Tharoor and Left Democratic Front candidate C Divakaran

"For development of the state and welfare of its people, I think Kerala should move along with NDA government in Delhi. Now that Kerala is coming up in the mainstream, I am very much confident that I'll win in this election," he said. 

BJP's Aman Sinha talks exclusively to India TV 

"Polling in all the states were smooth, except for in West Bengal, which witnessed a number of violence incidences. This happened because of Mamata Banerjee's governance in the state," he says. 

"In some time from now, we will see that the country will cheer for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his victory," he added. 

Madhya Pradesh: Ahead of the counting of votes, Sadhvi Pragya Thakur was seen offering prayers at a temple in Bhopal. 

Thakur is currently being tried for terrorism charges in connection with the Malegaon blasts in 2008 that killed six people. She is out on bail on health grounds. 

Uttar Pradesh: Actor-turned-politician Jaya Prada has said she is confident of the Bharatiya Janata Party's win in Rampur constituency. 

"We have full faith in the people of the country and of the constituency," she said. 

Uttar Pradesh: 10 rooms have been set up in Lucknow for the counting of votes. Tight security has been deployed outside the strong rooms and the results are expected to be delayed by some hours today. 

Meanwhile, the United States has expressed confidence in the fairness and integrity of the Indian elections and has said it would work with whoever is the victor.

"I would say from the US perspective, we are very confident in the fairness and the integrity of the Indian elections, and we will obviously work with whoever is the victor and whatever the outcome is there," State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus told reporters.

Madhya Pradesh: Counting of votes to begin at 8 AM, visuals from Bhopal. 

Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel exudes confidence in BJP's win in the state. 

In an exclusive conversation with India TV, the deputy chief minister said, "We are confident of a clean sweep in Gujarat. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has dedicatedly served the country in the past 5 years and his hard work will reap results." 

Hello and welcome to our election live updates. Counting of votes for the world's biggest election is set to begin at 8 am today. Seven-phased polling was held in 542 constituencies across the country.