Assembly Elections Results: Four-one for BJP, including prize state UP; AAP sweeps Punjab

New Delhi, March 10: The BJP raced towards a second straight win in politically crucial Uttar Pradesh and dominated the score chart in three other states while the Aam Aadmi Party announced its national presence with a landslide victory in Punjab, its triumph redrawing India’s political map and diminishing the Congress even further.

The BJP was also ahead in Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa, according to trends and results on the Election Commission website. The Congress’ epitaph was written on the electoral battlefield.

The party, now in power only in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, an all-time low, lost Punjab and was ahead in only two seats in Uttar Pradesh with a vote share of just 2.3 per cent, notwithstanding the high-decibel campaign by the Gandhi siblings Rahul and Priyanka.

But all eyes were on key electoral battleground Uttar Pradesh where the Yogi Adityanath-led government was pitching for a second consecutive term in power.

In trends and results available for the 403 seats, the ruling party was ahead in 250 seats, short of its earlier count of 312 but comfortably over the halfway mark in polls that come a year after the devastating second Covid wave.

This will be the first time in over three decades that a party will get re-elected for a second term in the state.

-TNIE