Here's a look at each of the states where the assembly election results will be declared Sunday
West Bengal assembly election results 2021:
Following an intensely polarised election - and the state's longest (eight phases) - all eyes are on who will emerge victorious in Bengal. Will Didi hold fort or will the BJP go beyond what exit polls are predicting and win a comfortable majority in Bengal? In the current assembly, the BJP has three seats with a vote percentage slightly above 10 percent. All exit polls have predicted it will cross the three-figure mark, if not get a clear majority to form government, and record a jump in vote share to somewhere around 40 percent. For the Trinamool Congress, which had won 211 of the 293 seats it contested in 2016, the few months ahead of elections proved expensive. It lost several of its party leaders to the BJP. Battling incumbency, the Mamata Banerjee-led party is hopeful of retaining power for a third term.
Tamil Nadu and Puducherry election results:
Tamil Nadu and Puducherry voted in a single-phase election conducted on April 6. Tamil Nadu will see its first election without the two towering figures - J Jayalalithaa and M Karunanidhi - putting current chief minister and Jayalalithaa loyalist Edapaddi K Palaniswami and Karunaidhi's son M K Stalin - in the ring. All exit poll surveys have given the DMK a clear majority, and if they hold true, Stalin will emerge as the next chief minister of the state. In 2019, the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance swept the Lok Sabha elections winning 38 of the 39 seats. In power since 2011, the AIADMK, part of the BJP-led NDA, will hope to win a third term despite the incumbency and instability within the party following the death of its leader.
In Puducherry, exit poll surveys have predicted a victory for the AIADMK-BJP-NR Congress alliance. The Congress lost power weeks ahead of elections after party MLAs resigned reducing the strength of the ruling alliance to 11 against the opposition's 14. Congress Chief Minister V Narayanasamy had to resign ahead of the trust vote on February 22.
Kerala Assembly election results:
In Kerala, it's ‘thudarbharanam’ (re-election) vs ‘adiozhukkukal’ (undercurrents). With exit poll surveys giving the LDF a historic win, the Pinarayi Vijayan-led alliance is hopeful of ending the state's political tradition of voting out the incumbent. For the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), the high-octance election campaign by the Gandhis is what they're banking on to form government and oust the LDF. If the exit polls hold true, it reinforces the argument of there being very little anti-incumbency against Vijayan's government - one that saw the state through several crises including the Kerala floods, and the on-going Covid-19 surge.
In the 2016 Assembly election, the LDF rode to power winning 91 of the 140 seats, reducing the UDF to 47 seats. The BJP had opened its account in the state, winning one seat. The half-way mark is 71.
Assam Assembly election results:
The BJP-led alliance comprising the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), the United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) and the Gana Suraksha Party (GSP) are confident of retaining power in the northeastern state - hoping to become the only non-Congress government to win a consecutive term. In 2016, the BJP alliance won 86 of the 126 Assembly seats. Sixty four is the halfway mark. Most exit polls have given the saffron party a comfortable majority in the range of 70-80 seats while the Congress-led Grand Alliance is predicted to win around 45-55 seats.
The BJP, through the election campaign, sought to politicise the issue of the immigrant influx in Assam, often accusing the previous Congress governments of harbouring illegal Muslim immigrants in exchange for political support.
The state voted in three phases - March 27, April 1 and April 6 - and saw a 79.93 per cent, 80.96 per cent and 82.33 per cent turnout respectively.
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"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made the Northeast the centre of development in the country… There are policies towards the development of infrastructure, roads, railway, universities etc. The state government too took a number of initiatives. People have also appreciated the state government’s fight against Covid… and have voted against the divisive politics and unholy alliances of the Opposition," Himanta Biswa Sarma told Liz Mathew in an interview.
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Yet another counting day and yet another demoralising defeat for the Congress. Since 2014, of the 40 Assembly elections held, the party, on its own, could win and form governments in only four states and a Union Territory.
After today’s defeats in Kerala, Assam, Puducherry and the wipeout in West Bengal, Congress leaders across states are admitting, in hushed tones, that the bigger worry is that the party is losing its legitimacy — moral and political — to lead the Opposition at the national level as it is fast ceding space to regional forces in the fight against the BJP.
The defeat, many party leaders said, is set to deepen internal turmoil and give another window for the detractors of senior leader Rahul Gandhi, who had virtually led the party’s campaign in Kerala, from where he is an MP. His sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had campaigned in Kerala and Assam. Read more
The victory of the LDF marks the first time since the 1980s that an incumbent political combination has returned to power in Kerala. In doing so, the LDF has surpassed its earlier tally of 91 in the 140-member Assembly. How was electoral history rewritten in Kerala, and what are the key takeaways from Sunday’s results? Read more
The under-par performances in Jharkhand, Haryana, Maharashtra, Delhi after the party’s stellar performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections have raised questions over the erosion of the formidable political capital mobilised by Modi for his party. With a defeat in West Bengal, those questions get sharper focus. Read more
Considering the COVID-19 pandemic, the swearing in ceremony of the new government led by his party would be simple, DMK president M K Stalin said here on Sunday.
Stalin, who spoke to reporters after paying floral tributes in the mausoleum of his father and late party patriarch 'Kalaignar' M Karunanidhi at the Marina beach said the date of the swearing-in ceremony would be made known soon. (PTI)
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Sunday hailed Mamata Banerjee-led TMC's electoral triumph in the West Bengal Assembly polls as a "decisive win for the idea of India" and asserted that the BJP had met its match in Bengal and lost.
Tharoor, who campaigned extensively for the United Democratic Front (UDF) in the Kerala polls, also expressed disappointment with the results in the state where the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front was all set to retain power with a thumping mandate.
"It's a day of disappointment for many of my friends and colleagues in @INCKerala. You fought a good fight. The energy and commitment I've seen from you is the party's greatest strength," Tharoor said.
"We must not be disheartened. There is work ahead to renew and revive our party, and to serve the people," he said in a series of tweets. (PTI)
BJP's Suvendu Adhikari has now taken a slight lead against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the Nandigram constituency as the Election Commission counts postal votes.
Jailed Raijor Dal leader Akhil Gogoi has won the election from Sibsagar with over 11,000 votes against the BJP's Surabhi Rajkonwari.
Congress's Assam president Ripun Bora resigns after poll debacle, sends letter to Sonia Gandhi. (PTI)
Actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam leader Kamal Haasan faced defeat on his poll debut in the Coimbatore South constituency. BJP's national women's wing leader Vanathi Srinivasan, who was trailing initially, gained momentum in the second half of the day and managed to beat the Tamil actor by a slender margin of over 1,300 votes.
The constituency which gained huge traction from the day the candidates were announced, offered a nail-biting finish with Vanathi being declared winner only in the last round of counting of votes.
The Coimbatore (South) constituency saw a three-way battle between Kamal Haasan, Vanathi Srinivasan, and Congress candidate Mayura S Jayakumar. In the first couple of hours, Mayura S Jayakumar gained some momentum but soon Haasan took the lead. The contest then looked like an easy finish for the Tamil actor until Vanathi Srinivasan made inroads. Since afternoon, the votes swung like a pendulum between BJP and MNM. Till the 22nd round, Haasan was leading the contest and then Vanathi never looked back. (Report by Janardhan Kaushik)
Election Commission's Returning Officer (RO) has rejected the TMC’s request for a recount of all votes cast in the Nandigram seat. Final result to be notified soon. Suvendu Adhikari has won the seat against TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee.
Mamata Banerjee has now taken a slight lead against BJP's Suvendu Adhikari in the Nandigram constituency as the Election Commission conducts mandatory VVPAT verification.
As per the Election Commission count, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari has defeated Mamata Banerjee by 1,736 votes in Nandigram. However, mandatory VVPAT verification is currently underway and results will be officially announced only after that.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Mamata Banerjee, MK Stalin, Pinarayi Vijayan for their victories in Assembly elections in Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.
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Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has won the Dharmadom seat with a margin of 50,123 votes. (PTI)
With the Nandigram verdict hanging in balance, the Trinamool Congress issued a statement saying that the counting process has not been completed and urged everyone to not speculate the results yet.
With the suspense continuing over the Nandigram verdict, CM Mamata Banerjee said: "Don't worry about Nandigram, I struggled for Nandigram because I fought a movement. It's ok. Let the Nandigram people give whatever verdict they want, I accept that. I don't mind. We won more than 221 seats and BJP has lost the election."
Following TMC's resounding performance in Assembly elections, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed that she was grateful to the people of her state for TMC's landslide victory. She also termed the results as "victory of democracy". She said the swearing-in ceremony will be a low-key event in view of the prevailing Covid-19 situation.
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi congratulated DMK chief MK Stalin on their alliance's superb performance in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. The DMK-led alliance is set to win over 145 seats in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly.
With the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF alliance set to retain power in Kerala, CM Pinarayi Vijayan said the people of Kerala have once again reposed faith in the Left front.&nb
"But this is not a time to celebrate due to the large spread of Covid-19. We have to continue the fight against Covid-19," CM Vijayan said while addressing a press conference.
The CPI(M)-led LDF alliance is on its course to buck the over four-decade-old trend of swinging between the Communists and the Congress-headed UDF in the southern state. At present, the LDF is leading at least in 94 of the 140 assembly seats.
Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee requested the TMC cadre to not take out the victory procession and urged everyone to stay indoors in view of Covid-19 second wave. She said she would address the media after 6 pm. Mamata-led TMC is on course to win over 210 seats in Bengal Assembly. (ANI)
BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya on Sunday credited Mamata Banerjee for the TMC's astounding performance in Bengal elections, and said his party would introspect the poll results.
Earlier in the day, he had claimed that initial trends were not the real indicators of the final outcome, and exuded confidence that his party will win the elections.
Vijayvargiya, who is also the BJP's Bengal minder, also said that he has received a call from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who enquired about the party's poor show. (PTI) Read more here
Defence Minister and BJP leader Rajnath Singh congratulated West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on her party's stunning performance in the Assembly election. The Mamata Banerjee-led TMC is poised to win over 200 seats in 294-member Bengal Assembly.
BJP national general secretar Kailash Vijayvargiya on Sunday credited Mamata Banerjee fo the TMC's astounding performance in Bengal elections, and sai his party would introspect the poll results Earlier in the day, he had claimed that initial trend were not the real indicators of the final outcome, and exude confidence that his party will win the elections Vijayvargiya, who is also the BJP's Bengal minder also said that he has received a call from Union Home Ministe Amit Shah, who enquired about the party's poor show. "The TMC won because of Mamata Banerjee. It seem people have chosen Didi. We will introspect what went wrong whether it was organisational issues, lack of face, insider outsider debate. We will see what went wrong," he said. - PTI
KK Shailaja to NDTV: "We are ready for a second term. Such development has taken place in these 5 years under the leadership of our CM. We were sure we will return to office. Who will be the next health minister will be decided by the Left front."
In his first reaction on the poll trends, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said: "People of Assam have elected a BJP government for the second time. Counting is going on… but it is clear that BJP (with allies) is forming the government for the second time.
The ruling BJP-led NDA in Assam is leading in 77 assembly seats, while the Grand Alliance spearheaded by the Congress is ahead in 40 places, according to the trends available in the Election Commission's website.
The BJP is leading in 62 seats, and its partners Asom Gana Parishad is ahead 10 and United People's Party, Liberal in seven constituencies. Congress candidates are leading in 26 seats, while those of its ally AIUDF in 11 and Bodoland People's Front in three.
Poll strategist Prashant Kishor, in an interview to NDTV, said, "In this victory, I am saying, I am quitting and I don't want to do this anymore. I have had enough. I want to pursue something else."
Prashant Kishor: "I have said this before and I'm saying it again. In this victory, I am quitting and I don't want to do this anymore. I have had enough. It's time for my colleagues in iPac to take over. They are very capable people there... I end up taking credit for a lot of their work."
Prashant Kishor, the political strategist of the Trinamool, said the party went through hell as the EC allowed the BJP to do whatever they wanted to do. "The EC acted as an extension of the BJP. They have been blatantly partial. They did everything that they could have done on their part to help BJP win Bengal," Kishor told NDTV.
Prashant Kishor: We have been confident about doing very well. I've said it in public. Whether 200 or 190... to my mind all what BJP was trying to do was build up a massive propaganda that they are winning in Bengal.
BJP is a formidable and they will continue to be. We were confident that Trinamool would win more seats then what many were expecting.
The TMC recognised what they need to do as a course correction and they did it. That's why they won. Where BJP has not accounted the changes the Trinamool brought about post Lok Sabha and therefore they were surprised.
While earlier in the day the BJP was leading in three seats, it has now reduced to 1 - that of E Sreedharanin Palakkad. Sreedharan's lead has slipped to just around 200.
Derek O'Brien: An emotional day after fighting the world’s most destructive force, MO-SHA’s BJP. Filthy campaign aided by agencies and shameless EC. A momentous day for India & Bengal. It is understandable that we are euphoric but we also know that during #Covid we have to celebrate responsibly.
Delhi Chief Minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal tweeted congratulating Mamata Banerjee for what appears to be the Trinamool's massive victory in West Bengal. Mamata, however, is trailing in her constituency of Nandigram.
Dilip Ghosh, the BJP West Bengal says the fight is still on as the counting is very slow and there are lots of seats where the difference is very small. "In many seats it is possible we will still win as the difference is very small," Ghosh told NDTV.
Neither Kamal Haasan's MNM nor TTV Dhinakaran's AMMA are faring well this election. Haasan, however, is leading by 2,700 votes in Coimbatore South against Congress candidate Mayura S Jayakumar at the end of the sixth round. In Kovilpatti, Dhinakaran trails AIADMK Minister Kadambur C Raju, who leads by 1,500 votes at the end of the 7th round.
And, congratulations have started trickling for Mamata Banerjee!
From Raj Chakraborty leading in BJP leader Arjun Singh’s territory to Sayoni Ghosh soaring past her BJP counterpart in Asansol Dakshin, Mamata Banerjee’s star-studded line-up hasn’t disappointer her so far. Banerjee is likely to return as the Chief Minister for the third consecutive term with the TMC leading in over 200 seats, while the BJP’s lead has slipped to 88 seats, as per early trends.
If there's one seat which is heading for a nail-biting photo-finish, it's the urban seat of Thrissur. A triangular contest is underway between Suresh Gopi of BJP, Padmaja Venugopal of Congress and P Balachandran of CPI. As per current trends, Balachandran is ahead with Padmaja trailing him and Suresh Gopi in last place. This was one of the seats where the BJP had a lot of hopes of winning.
The Election Commission of India has taken serious note of reports coming in of congregation(s) of people to celebrate anticipated victory. The EC has directed Chief Secretaries of all 5 states to file FIR in each such case, suspend concerned SHO and report action taken immediately of each such incidence
DMK workers have started celebrating the election results in Tamil Nadu. Here are scenes from outside Anna Arivalayam, the party's headquarters in Chennai. Early trends in counting show the DMK alliance in the lead in the Tamil Nadu Assembly election results. The party and its allies, including the Congress, are ahead in at least 133 seats, while the ruling AIADMK is up in 100 seats.
The BJP+ is leading in 81 seats whereas the Congress+ is leading in 45 seats. The question now - within the BJP - is who will emerge as the chief minister? Will Sarbananda Sonowal get a second term or will Himanta Biswa Sarma get the top position? We will have to wait a few days to find out.
BJP's lead has slipped from 3 to 2 in Kerala. Kummanam Rajasekharan has a slim majority in Nemom while E Sreedharan leads in Palakkad. The LDF is set to form government in the state currently leading in 89. The UDF is leading in 45 seats.
BJP's Nimisha Suthar gained a lead over her nearest Congress rival Suresh Katara in the bypoll to Morva Hadaf Assembly seat in Gujarat's Panchmahal district, as per initial trends of the counting on Sunday. The bypoll, held on April 17, was necessitated after Independent MLA Bhupendrasinh Khant was disqualified in May 2019 for submitting an invalid caste certificate.
The Trinamool Congress has crossed the 200 mark in leads with the BJP being pushed down to 90. These, just to be clear, are still leads and there are several rounds left to be counted. Mamata Banerjee is trailing in Nandigram to her former party colleague Suvendhu Adhikari who jumped to the BJP.
In Puducherry, the NRC+ alliance of which the AIADMK and the BJP are part, is leading in 11 seats whereas the Congress+ is leading in 6. Counting here is slower and leads are available in only 17 of the 30 seats.
Arun J: The trends are still in the initial phases as we have only crossed three to four rounds in many constituencies. What we can say so far, is that it seems it won't be a clean sweep for the DMK, which is relying on its allies.
The AIAMK, which has been governing for 10 years, has put up a good fight against DMK chief M K Stalin despite the anti-incumbency factors. If AIADMK manages to get a good numbers this election, it means the credit goes to CM Edapaddi K Palaniswami.
The AIADMK is doing well because of a different image portrayed of EPS, at a time when he has been called a "slave" of the BJP by the Oppsition, and said to be working at the behest of Sasikala. EPS, who is not an aggressive leader, has managed to run and maintain the government after Jayalalithaa's death in spite of many believing the AIADMK government would not survive. He has travelled extensively across the state in the last year, and done a good job to fight the Covid pandemic. EPS' style of functioning also seems to be giving the party a good result.
Stalin, on the other hand, has always had a good image of a leader. He has also had a good team of bureaucrats to help him.
Trinamool Congress's Derek O'Brien has tweeted a video of BJP leader and Home Minister Amit Shah stating the BJP would win 200 seats in Bengal. The BJP, according to current leads, is hovering at around 95.
Despite campaign aggressively in Kerala, the Congress party failed to win the state and defeat the LDF government. The Gandhis campaigned through the state and were hopeful that they would win.
Similarly in Assam, where the Congress party was hoping to at least deliver a better performance if not form government in the state.
The BJP is leading in five seats in early trends in Tamil Nadu. These seats include Tirunelveli (Nainar with over 5,000 votes), Dharapuram (state chief L Murugan), Harbour, Nilgiri and Kanyakumari. These results are encouraging for the party, which drew a blank in the last Assembly election in 2016 and the Lok Sabha polls in 2019.
The ruling BJP is leading in the bypolls to Belgaum Lok Sabha constituency and Basavakalya Assembly segment whereas Congress is leading in Maski. Mangala Suresh Angadi, the BJP candidate, is leading against Congress candidate Satish Jarkiholi in the Belgaum constituency by margin of around 12,000 votes. In Basavakalya, BJP's Sharanu Salagar is leading by about 4,400 votes against Mala B Narayan Rao, whereas Maski Congress candidate Basanagouda Turuvihal is ahead of BJP candidate Prathapagouda Patil by almost 8,000 votes. - PTI
The Congress is leading in two seats and the BJP in one seat in the initial rounds of counting of votes for three assembly seats in Rajasthan. According to the Election Commission of India (ECI) statistics, BJP's Deepti Maheshwari is leading on the Rajsamand seat with 49.82 per cent of votes in her favour, whereas rival Congress' Tansukh Bohara has so far got 46.43 per cent of votes. On Sahada and Sujangarh seats, Congres' candidates Gayatri Trivedi and Manoj Kumar are leading with 58.19 and 40.38 per cent of votes in their favour, leaving behind BJP's Ratanlal Jat (32.08) and Khemaram (25.01) on the two seats, respectively. - PTI
In Puducherry, the NRC+ is leading in 12 whereas the Congress+ is leading in 4. 15 is the halfway mark in the 30 member house. Exit polls had predicted the incumbent Congress government will be routed in the elections. Ahead of polls, a few of its MLAs resigned, forcing a trust vote which led to the collapse of the government,
DMK supporters gathered outside the party headquarters in Chennai to celebrate their party's victory in the assembly elections. The DMK is currently leading in 137 seats of 234.
In Pala, a seat represented for over 50 years by Kerala Congress strongman KM Mani, his son Jose is trailing by over 2500 votes. If this trend continues, it will be a shocker for Jose K Mani, who's now part of the LDF.
The DMK alliance is racing ahead in Tamil Nadu, leading in 139 seats of the 234-member House. The AIADMK and its allies, meanwhile, are ahead in 93 seats. The DMK leads in 111 seats, and is short of forming the government on its own. It still relies on its allies to cross the magic mark of 118. While the AIADMK is doing well in north and western Tamil Nadu, several of its ministers are trailing in their constituencies.
These results, however, still reflect initial trends and could change dynamically over the next few hours. In the state, counting of votes is anywhere between 14 and 30 rounds, so it could be a while till we have a clear picture. Follow Tamil Nadu live updates
Kailash Vijayvargiya, BJP in-charge of West Bengal, has this to say:
"Too early to say anything because there are so many rounds. Situation will be clear only by evening. We had started from 3 & were challenged that we won't get even 100, we have crossed that mark. We will cross the magic number too."
The Trinamool Congress is pulling ahead in West Bengal and appears to be comfortably above the halfway mark of 146. Two seats won't be declared as candidates passed away during the election. The TMC is currently leading in 164 while the BJP is leading in 121.
On Twitter, Didi is silent and has only tweeted once, remembering film legend Satyajit Ray on his birth centenary.
In Singur seat, TMC minister and candidate Becharam Manna is leading his nearest rival Rabidranath Bhattacharya of the BJP after first round of counting. TMC candidate from Bhabanipur, the seat vacated by Mamata Banerjee, Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, is leading, and so is Firhad Hakim, a minister, from the Kolkata Port constituency. PTI