Election Results 2022 Live: BJP Retains U.P. And Three Other States, AAP Surprises In Punjab

Counting of votes for assembly elections has gotten underway in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa, at 8 am on Thursday.

Survey firms released exit polls on March 7, following the conclusion of the seventh phase of voting in U.P. All key exit polls for U.P. forecast the Bharatiya Janata Party returning to power, after five years in government led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. In Punjab, the exit polls pointed to a successful expansion into Punjab for the Aam Aadmi Party that is currently in power in the National Capital Territory of Delhi. In Uttarakhand and Manipur, exit polls found the BJP leading, with some surveys showing it crossing the halfway mark. Most exit polls have forecast a hung assembly in Goa with a close contest between the BJP and the Indian National Congress.

Today’s election results, primarily in Uttar Pradesh, outcome could define the political priorities Prime Minister Narendra Modi chooses to pursue for the remainder of his second term. Western Uttar Pradesh was among the regions that saw year-long protests to the Modi government's farm laws, before their repeal in November 2021. In Punjab, which was the epicentre of the farmer protests, the BJP is a marginal political player.

Election results in India's most-populous state come as the Covid-19 pandemic enters its third year, and less than 12 months after the deadly Delta-variant wave swept through Uttar Pradesh in April-May 2021. Soaring prices and joblessness had also been weighing on U.P. voters' minds, reported Bloomberg's Bibhudatta Pradhan.

The build-up to the U.P. election was marked by a "rising tide of religious polarisation", wrote Bloomberg Opinion's Ruth Pollard. While concurring on the spike in hate speech, fellow Bloomberg columnist Mihir Sharma argued that the election result in U.P. would be determined by voters' assessment of their economic prospects.

The Election Commission has posted the first leads from the frontier state of Punjab. In this very early round of data, the Shiromani Akali Dal is shown leading in the Mukerian constituency, and an independent candidate leading in Sultanpur Lodhi.

The first two leads in the politically critical states of Uttar Pradesh have the Bharatiya Janata Party leading in both seats. These are in the constituencies of Sandila near Lucknow, and in Tindwari, south of the Yamuna in Banda district.

The BJP has taken a steady lead in the initial rounds of counting in Uttar Pradesh.

In Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party has shot off the starting-line into the lead in the first 90 minutes of counting.

Of the 16 out of 70 seats that leads have been posted by the Election Commission in Uttarakhand, the BJP is leading in 10 and the Congress is ahead in six.

In Manipur, the BJP is leading in six seats, the Janata Dal (United) in two, while the Indian National Congress, the Kuki People’s Alliance, and an independent candidate are leading in one seat each.

As per results data posted by the Election Commission as of 9:45 am, the Aam Aadmi Party is leading in well more than half the seats in the 117-member Punjab assembly.

With leads coming in for a little over a quarter of Uttar Pradesh's 403 seats, the BJP is notching up steady gains, with the party and its allies ahead in 81 of the 126 that the ECI has posted data for, as of 9:45 am.

In the hill state that was carved out of Uttar Pradesh a little over 20 years ago, the Bharatiya Janata Party has begun its counting day performance on the front foot, attempting to be the first party to retain power in the five elections held in Uttarakhand so far in the last two decades.

As of 10 am, the Bharatiya Janata Party is leading in over 100 constiutencies of the 194 that data has come in for.

The Samajwadi Party and its allies are at half the BJP's tally, leading in a little over 60 seats. Leads for the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Indian National Congress have stayed in single-digits in the two hours of counting that has been carried out so far.

Initial leads have been posted for 39 of the 40 seats in the Goa assembly. The BJP is leading in 17 of those, the Congress and its ally the Goa Foward Party are ahead in 14. The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, which is an ally of the All India Trinamool Congress is leading in five, and the Aam Aadmi Party is ahead in one seat.

The Bharatiya Janata Party and its ally have crossed the majority mark of 202 in the 403 member assembly in Lucknow.

The Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal combine are as of 10:30 am at half the BJP tally, in the first largely bipolar election in Uttar Pradesh in decades.

The Bharatiya Janata Party's leads are well past the majority mark in the Uttar Pradesh assembly as of 2 pm, leaving the Samajwadi Party at less than half its tally.

In Uttarakhand too, the BJP appears to be comfortably in the majority with the seats it is currently leading in 46 seats. A party needs to enjoy the strength of at least 36 MLAs to form the government in the state.

In Goa, the BJP is emerging as the single-largest party, one short of the halfway mark. The Congress-GFP combine is at 12, and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party is leading in three seats, while its ally and new entrant the Trinamool Congress is drawing a blank. Both the GFP and the MGP were part of the BJP-led government formed by Manohar Parrikar after the 2017 elections.

While the BJP is one short as of 2 pm, the independent candidate leading in Goa's Bicholim constituency has declared his support to the BJP.

In Manipur, the BJP is the single largest party, and is currently clocking leads in around half the seats where data for counting has come in.

After four hours of counting in Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party is set to form its first government in a full state, after being in power in the National Capital of Delhi for the last 7 years.

The AAP has clocked a 75% strike rate, leaving the incumbent Congress at 18 seats, and former allies Akali Dal and BJP at four and two seats respectively.

“AAP has crossed over 90 seats in Punjab, results are still coming," the party's national convener Arvind Kejriwal said. "People have put a lot of faith in us, we won't break it. We will change this country's politics,” he added.

- Niraj Shah, Markets Editor, BloombergQuint

Leads clearly show the BJP with a comfortable majority, which the markets may not rejoice to because of the other global factors. That said, the political continuity helps take one adversity of domestic political uncertainty out for equities.

The run-up in the equity markets on Thursday is entirely thanks to the global picture, and crude prices coming off. The political outcome does not have much to do with this rally.

BJP is set to return to power in Uttar Pradesh. The party continues to lead in 268 seats as of 4.15 pm, leaving the Samajwadi Party at less than half its tally.

In Uttarakhand too, the BJP is in lead as of 4.15 pm, leaving the Congress Party at less than half its tally. A party needs to enjoy the strength of at least 36 MLAs to form the government in the state.

The Aam Aadmi Party is in lead in 92 of the 117 seats in Punjab as of 4.15 pm and is set to form the government. Comedian turned politician Bhagwant Mann will be Punjab's next chief minister, party convener Arvind Kejriwal said.

In Goa, the BJP has taken lead in 20 seats as of 4.15 pm. The Congress-GFP combine is at 12, and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party is leading in two seats.

In Manipur, the BJP has reached a simple majority in the 60-member assembly.

BJP is likely to form a government in Goa, where it has won 20 of 40 seats. Congress finished second in the Assembly election race in the state

Aam Aadmi Party won maximum number of seats in Punjab and is all set to form the government. Comedian turned politician Bhagwant Mann is going be Punjab's next chief minister.