Counting for Assembly polls in four states and one Union Territory took place on Sunday, with trends from the Election Commission indicating clear winners in all places.
In Kerala, the ruling LDF appeared poised to form the government again as per the latest trends, with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) registering a win on 62 seats. Among the other constituents of LDF, CPI won 16 seats and was leading on one more, Kerala Congress (M) won four seats and was maintaining the lead on one other, NCP and Janata Dal (Secular) both won two seats each and Janadhipathya Kerala Congress also won one seat. LDF allies Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD), Indian National League (INL), and Kerala Congress (B) also won one seat each. The LDF also includes Revolutionary Socialist Party (Leninist) and Kerala Congress (Skaria Thomas).
In the UDF’s pavilion, Indian National Congress won 20 seats and was leading on one more, while IUML won 15, and Kerala Congress (Jacob) won one seat. UDF also includes Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), Communist Marxist Party (John), All India Forward Bloc, Bharatiya National Janata Dal and Nationalist Congress Kerala (NCK).
Meanwhile, in West Bengal, as counting progressed, trends suggested the victory of the ruling TMC and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee retaining her position as the party had already won 196 seats and was leading in 18 constituencies at the time of going to press. The BJP had won 65 seats and was leading on 11 more.
Bengal witnessed a fierce contest between the ruling TMC and BJP across eight phases. The Samyukta Morcha comprising the Congress, Left parties, and ISF also tried to put up a strong fight while the BJP made a concerted attempt to dislodge the TMC.
In Assam, the ruling BJP-led NDA stayed ahead of the Grand Alliance led by the Congress, winning 46 seats and was leading in 13 of the 126 seats, as per the Election Commission’s latest trends.
The BJP’s partners, Asom Gana Parishad won nine seats and the United People’s Party Liberal won six seats. Congress candidates won 19 seats and were leading on 10 while its allies AIUDF won 10 seats and were leading on six and Bodoland People’s Front was leading on one while it won three seats.
In Puducherry, the All India NR Congress won 10 seats, while BJP won five seats, and was leading in one seat, as per the latest trend. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) won five seats and was leading on one while the Congress won two seats in the 30-members Legislative Assembly. The exit polls predicted victory for the NDA, within which, the BJP was contesting on nine seats, All India NR Congress on 16 seats and the AIADMK on five seats.
The election in the UT had been declared after the Congress-led government in the Union Territory collapsed before completing its five-year term under Chief Minister V Narayanasamy.
Meanwhile, in Tamil Nadu, the DMK-led alliance looked poised to defeat the ruling AIADMK and form the government in the state with the latest trends from the EC showing that DMK has already won 53 seats, and was leading on 80 more on its own in the 234-member assembly.
AIADMK also won 24 seats and was leading on 45, while its ally BJP was leading on three seats and won one, and the Paattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) was leading on three seats and won one. Congress, which is an ally of DMK, won three seats and was leading on 13 more. DMK’s other allies CPI won one, leading on two, and CPI (M) was leading on two seats while Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) was leading on three and won one.