The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance won the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections getting 274 seats (as per the EC website at 10:15 p.m.) in a deeply bipolar contest though with a reduced tally from their 2017 score of 312 seats. The Samajwadi Party a distant runner-up with 110 seats, lost the fight even though they improved their vote share by nearly ten percentage points and increased its tally by 63 seats.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who is the first Chief Minister to return to power in the State called it a defeat of “jaatiwaad” (casteist) and “paarivaad” (family centric) politics. BJP’s victory, he claimed was because of his government’s emphasis on “suraksha” (security), “vikas” (development), and “sushaan” (good administration).
Neither SP President Akhilesh Yadav nor his key ally RLD leader Jayant Chaudhary came out with a statement on election results.
The 2022 election upended the electoral equations in the State. Unlike the three-corner contests in the last many elections, this time it was a direct battle between BJP and SP relegating other parties to the margins. The BSP, which is said to have a 20% captive vote bank of Dalits especially the Jatavs, got only a single seat, a huge fall from its 2017 tally of 19. Its vote share also fell from 22.23% to a little over 12%. The Congress which had got 6.25 percent votes in 2017 is down to 2.4 percent. It managed to win only two seats, five short of its 2017 tally.
CM Yogi Adityanath, in his first-ever Assembly elections is leading from the Gorakhpur Urban constituency, while Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav has won from the Karhal constituency. The BJP also increased its vote share in the State from 39.7% in the 2017 Assembly polls to around 42% (counting was still on at the time of writing) in 2022.
Elections to the 403-seated Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly was held in seven phases from February 10 to March 7.
View detailed map of election results here
Exit polls had predicted a second term for the BJP, albeit lesser seats and the SP finishing as the runner-up.
Here are the live updates on election results of Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath wins Gorakhpur Urban seat by a margin of over 1 lakh votes.
Yogi Adityanath has won the Gorakhpur Urban seat with a total vote of 1,65,499. SP candidate was a distant second with only 62,109 votes, while Aazad Samj Party (Kanshi Ram) candidate Chandra Shekhar got 7640 votes in total.
Mr. Adityanath has now become the first Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Chief Minister to complete a five-year term in UP. No ruling Chief Minister has been able to retain power in the state since 1985.
During his campaign for the elections, Adityanath did 207 rallies and roadshows and even visited 90 Assembly constituencies considered "weak" by the BJP.
Congress relegated to margins in UP: Its seat tally down to 2 from 7, vote share to 2.35% from 6.25%
The Congress, which has ruled Uttar Pradesh for the longest period of time among political parties but has been out of power for three decades, plunged into further wilderness in the state, winning just two seats.
While its seats tally came down to two from seven in 2017, its vote share declined to 2.35 per cent from 6.25 per cent.
The two seats it won are Rampur Khas and Pharenda.
In Rampur Khas, Congress candidate Aradhana Mishra defeated her closest rival BJP's Nagesh Pratap Singh by 14,741 votes, while in Pharenda Virendra Chaudhary defeated the BJP's Bajrang Bahadur Singh by 1,087 votes.
The party’s poor show in Amethi and Rae Bareli, which were considered its strongholds not long ago, continued where it failed to get a single seat, its candidates getting a third or fourth spot at most places.
State Congress president and Tamkuhi Raj seat MLA Ajay Kumar Lallu also failed to make a mark.
In Rampur Khas also its winning margin has come down.
The Congress campaign was led by party national general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra who crisscrossed the state holding meetings and roadshows in an attempt to resurrect the party which had been on the sidelines since the past three decades.
Priyank's campaign centred around women with the slogan of ' ladki hun lad sakti hun' and had come up with the new experiment of issuing a separate manifesto for women who were also given 40% tickets—PTI
Nearly 8 lakh voters in five states went for NOTA option
Nearly eight lakh voters, who exercised their franchise in the five states which went to assembly polls, used the 'none of the above' or NOTA option, according to data available on the Election Commission website.
In Manipur, out of the total voters, 10,349 or 0.6 per cent used the NOTA option. Similarly in Goa, 10,629 voters (1.1 per cent) used the option.
In Uttar Pradesh, which has the maximum number of 403 assembly seats, 621,186 voters or 0.7 per cent used the NOTA option. In Uttarakhand, those who pressed the NOTA button EVMs stood at 46,830 (0.9 per cent). In Punjab, 110,308 voters (0.9 per cent) went for NOTA.
The total stands at 799,302 voters in all the five states.
The 'NOTA' option on electronic voting machines, introduced in 2013, has its own symbol -- a ballot paper with a black cross across it.
After the Supreme Court order in September 2013, the EC added the NOTA button on the EVMs as the last option on the voting panel.
Prior to the apex court order, those not inclined to vote for any candidate had the option of registering their decision under Rule 49-O (elector deciding not to vote) of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961. But this compromised the secrecy of the voter.
The Supreme Court had, however, refused to direct the Election Commission to hold fresh polls if the majority of the electorate exercises the NOTA option while voting. —PTI
In U.P., a humbling loss for Akhilesh
For somebody who threw the kitchen sink at the Bharatiya Janta Party during the election campaign, it has been a humbling loss for Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav in Uttar Pradesh.
Observers said everybody knew that nobody could defeat the BJP on the Hindutva pitch but Mr. Yadav got a ‘godsend opportunity’ in the form of the pandemic and farmers’ agitation. After a slow start and making some imprudent comments on vaccine and Jinnah, he recovered well by focusing on real issues and distancing himself from the Muslim party and the parivarvadi tag but ultimately lack of a discerning ideology and lack of commitment meant that he ran a reactive campaign where he kept on grappling the image of heading an unruly party that protects the Muslim mafia, amplified by the so-called nationalist media.
Swami Prasad Maurya loses from Fazilnagar
Swami Prasad Maurya has lost to BJP candidate Surendra Kumar Kushwaha at Fazilnagar constituency, by a margin of 45,014 votes.
Mr. Maurya had resigned from Yogi Adityanath’s cabinet and quit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to join SP, shortly before the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
His daughter, Dr. Sanghmitra Maurya, is the sitting BJP MP from U.P.’s Badaun. Ms. Maurya had campaigned for her party in Badaun as well as for her father in Fazilnagar who was a Samajwadi Party candidate.
Dy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya loses from Sirathu
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Keshav Prasad Maurya has lost from Sirathu constituency against Samajwadi Party’s Dr. Pallavi Patel by a margin of 7,337 votes, according to the data available on the ECI’s website.
Mr. Maurya, who had been locked in a see-saw battle since morning, accepedet his defeat and thanked the voters and BJP workers of the constituency.
Sirathu was among the 325 seats won by the BJP alliance in 2017. In the wake of OBC leaders Swami Prasad Maurya and Dara Singh Chauhan quitting the BJP, Keshav Prasad Maurya’s significance as the OBC face of the party had increased.
Keshav Prasad Maurya, the RSS-BJP’s home-grown Maurya face, groomed in Hindutva as part of the party’s OBC project to appeal to non-Yadav backward class communities, in sharp contrast to Swami Prasad Maurya, who identifies as an Ambedkarite and has spent most of his political life in the BSP and socialist parties, often at loggerheads with Brahminical ideas.
BJP wins U.P. with a reduced tally as SP falls short
BJP won the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections getting 253 seats (as per the EC website at 8:00 p.m.) in a deeply bipolar contest though with a reduced tally from their 2017 score of 312 seats. The Samajwadi Party a distant runner-up with 113 seats, lost the fight even though they improved their vote share by nearly ten percentage points and increased its tally by 66 seats.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who is the first Chief Minister to return to power in the State called it a defeat of “jaatiwaad” (casteist) and “paarivaad” (family centric) politics. BJP’s victory, he claimed was because of his government’s emphasis on “suraksha” (security), “vikas” (development), and “sushaan” (good administration).
Neither SP President Akhilesh Yadav nor his key ally RLD leader Jayant Chaudhary came out with a statement on election results.
BJP’s Aditi Singh wins from Raebareli
Aditi Singh, who had quit as a sitting Congress MLA to join the BJP ahead of the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, on Thursday won the Raebareli Sadar seat, according to official results.
Aditi Singh, a second generation politician, is the daughter of the late Akhilesh Singh, a former five-term MLA from Raebareli Sadar, not long ago considered a Congress bastion.
Ms. Aditi got 1.02 lakh votes after an intense electoral fight with nearest rival Ram Pratap Yadav of the Samajwadi Party who polled 95,254 votes, the Election Commission website showed.
Her victory margin was 7,175 votes, according to the EC.
Keshav Prasad Maurya has lost, BJP workers not letting Pallavi Patel get winning certificate: Samajwadi Party
Samajwadi Party claims its candidate Dr. Pallavi Patel had defeated BJP candidate and Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya from Sirathu constituency while alleging that BJP workers are not letting Ms. Patel receive the winning certificate.
In a tweet in Hindi, the party said, “SP candidate from Sirathu Assembly seat Pallavi Patel has won the election but people from BJP are not letting her receive the winning certificate by pelting stones and creating ruckus at the counting centre.”
The party urged the Election Commission to give away the certificate and act against people creating alleged disturbance.
U.P.’s love has made me U.P. wala
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that the love he has received from people of Uttar Pradesh had truned him a “U.P. wala”.
“The love I have gotten from the people of U.P. as the member of Parliament from Varanasi has turned me into a U.P. wala,” PM Modi said, while addressing BJP workers at party headquarters in New Delhi after it retained power in four States.
Poll results show people’s support for BJP’s pro-poor, pro-active governance: PM Modi
Lauding BJP workers for ensuring an early Holi by making BJP victorious in four states, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the election results highlight people’s stamp of strong approval for the party’s pro-poor and pro-active governance model.
“It is a day of zest and festivities and this enthusiasm is for India’s democracy,” PM Modi said, while addressing BJP workers at the party’s headquarters following its win in four State polls, and described it as ‘jeet ka chauka’.
He said Uttar Pradesh has given many prime ministers but for the first time it has reelected a chief minister after he had served a full term.
The Prime Minister said that governance delivery has been made better and transparent in the last few years, while delivering the poor their rights.
PM Modi further said, “BJP karyakartas had promised me that Holi would begin from 10th March this year, and they have kept their promise. These workers worked 24X7 and were successful in winning the trust of the people across states.” “BJP’s vote share has increased in Manipur, Uttar Pradesh and Goa, even after being incumbent. All exit polls were proven incorrect in Goa, and the people of Goa have given us the chance to serve them for the third consecutive time,” he said. - PTI
Massive support for BJP in 4 states stamp of approval for PM’s schemes: J.P. Nadda
Crediting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the BJP’s victory in four Assembly elections, BJP chief J.P. Nadda on Thursday said the people’s massive support to the party shows their stamp of approval for the PM’s schemes and policies.
“Today the results of the elections have come unilaterally in favour of the BJP, you all have come in such a large number in the order of its victory march. On behalf of crores of BJP workers, I welcome and congratulate the prime minister,” Mr. Nadda said while addressing BJP workers from the party’s headquarters in New Delhi.
“In Uttar Pradesh, PM Modi has been blessed for the fourth time consecutively -- 2014 Lok Sabha, 2017 Vidha Sabha, 2019 Lok Sabha and now, in the 2022 Vidhan Sabha elections,” the BJP president said.
He said it is for the first time in 37 years that a party is forming the government after serving its full term, and the BJP’s vote share has also increased.
Congress will continue to fulfil duty as combative Opposition in U.P.: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
After it suffered a crushing defeat in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, Congress general secretary in-charge of the state Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday said party workers and leaders worked hard but failed to convert that into votes, and asserted that the Congress would continue to fulfil its duty as a combative opposition.
Despite an aggressive campaign pitch by Ms. Vadra, the Congress failed to make an impact in the polls and won one while was leading on another out of the 403 assembly seats.
“The vote of the people is paramount in a democracy. Our workers and leaders worked hard, established the organisation, fought on the issues of the people. But, we were not able to convert our hard work into votes,” Mr. Vadra said in a tweet in Hindi.
“The Congress party, for the betterment of U.P. and the people, will continue to fulfil the duty of a combative opposition by following a positive agenda,” she said.
Ex-top cop and BJP candidate Asim Arun wins from Kannauj
Asim Arun, who had quit the Indian Police Service (IPS) and joined the BJP, won from Uttar Pradesh’s Kannauj assembly constituency on Thursday, according to official results.
Making his electoral debut, the former Kanpur police commissioner has dented Kannauj, which was known as a Samajwadi Party bastion.
Mr. Arun got over 1.20 lakh votes (or 44.53%) defeating nearest rival Samajwadi Party’s Anil Kumar Doharey by a margin of 6,090 votes, the Election Commission website showed.
Mr. Doharey, who won the Kannauj seat in 2017 assembly polls, got 1.14 lakh votes (or 42.49%) of the total votes polled, the EC showed. - PTI
BJP’s victory in U.P. due to development works of PM, CM: Nitin Gadkari
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday attributed BJP’s victory in Uttar Pradesh Assembly election to development works carried out by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
In a series of tweets in Hindi, the road transport and highways minister said Yogi Adityanath has transformed the image of Uttar Pradesh, which was known for ‘goondaraj’ and backwardness, to that of a well-governed and prosperous state.
Mr. Gadkari also thanked the people of Uttar Pradesh for reposing faith in the BJP.
In another tweet, he said “the people of Manipur have reposed their faith in the BJP, embracing the development-oriented politics of PM Shri @narendramodi ji. Heartiest congratulations to Chief Minister Shri @NBirenSingh ji and all the dedicated Karyakartas of BJP.” - PTI
Time to reform Congress’ organisational leadership in manner that inspires people: Shashi Tharoor
With the Congress suffering a crushing defeat in the latest round of Assembly polls, party MP Shashi Tharoor on Thursday said it is time to reaffirm the idea of India that the Congress has stood for and reform the party’s organisational leadership in a manner that will reignite those ideas and inspire the people.
“All of us who believe in @INCIndia are hurting from the results of the recent assembly elections. It is time to reaffirm the idea of India that the Congress has stood for and the positive agenda it offers the nation...And to reform our organisational leadership in a manner that will reignite those ideas and inspire the people,” Mr. Tharoor said in a tweet.
“One thing is clear -- Change is unavoidable if we need to succeed,” the MP from Thiruvananthapuram said. - PTI
RLD finds some of its lost mojo in west
One of the takeaways from the Uttar Pradesh polls is Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and its leader Chaudhary Jayant Singh finding some of its lost mojo in the western part of the State.
Reduced to one seat in 2017, the party, riding on the farmers’ agitation and Jat-Muslim consolidation, bagged eight seats out of 33 it contested in alliance with the Samajwadi Party (SP) and its vote share was more than the Congress.
The alliance won four out of six seats in Muzaffarnagar, the centre of farmers’ agitation against the contentious agriculture laws. Three of these were won by the RLD candidates.
Despite loss, Samajwadi Party gets highest vote share since 2007
Despite a loss, Samajwadi Party (SP) has recorded its best vote share since 2007 in Uttar Pradesh.
The SP has won 34 seats so far and is leading on 80 other seats in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. The party has expanded its vote share to 32%, an upgrade from 21.8% it recorded in 2017.
It is worth noting that the vote share of SP has been increasing steadily for the past four election cycles. In 2007, the party managed to secure 26% votes, and in 2012 the party received 29% vote share and formed the government.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has improved its vote share marginally since the last Assembly election. In 2017, BJP received 39.6% vote share, and in 2022 the figure has improved to 41.6%.
TMC asks Congress to merge with it
The TMC on Thursday asked the Congress to merge with it and fight against the BJP under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee after its rout in the Assembly poll in five States where votes are being counted on Thursday.
This drew a sharp retort from the grand old party which accused it of being an “agent of BJP”.
Asked to comment on the party’s poor show in Goa, TMC leaders said the party is satisfied with the votes it secured given the fact that the party had opened its unit in the coastal State a few months ago. - PTI
We accept people’s mandate, will reinvent and return with new strategy: Congress
After the defeat in Assembly polls in five States, the Congress on Thursday said the election results are contrary to the party’s expectations, but it accepts the people’s mandate.
Addressing a press conference at the party’s headquarters in New Delhi, Congress general secretary and chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the party may have lost elections but not its courage and will continue to fight till it emerges victorious.
He also said that the Congress will reinvent and return with a new strategy and will always stand with the people, raising their issues, including inflation, unemployment and the “sinking” economy, with the same responsibility.
Akhilesh Yadav wins from Karhal
Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav wins Karhal constituency in Uttar Pradesh by 67,504 votes.
The BJP had pitted Union Minister and a former Mulayam Singh-loyalist Prof. S.P. Singh Baghel against Mr. Yadav. Mr. Baghel, however, finished second in the contest.
The 2022 Uttar Pradesh poll is the first time when Mr. Yadav has contested in an Assembly election. He won the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Azamgarh in Purvanchal.
Karhal constituency is a stronghold for SP and was held by senior party leader Sobaran Singh Yadav for the last four terms. In 2002, Mr. Sobaran Yadav had contested as a Bharatiya Janata Party candidate.
People buried politics of caste, religion: Yogi Adityanath
People have buried the politics of caste and religion by ensuring the victory of BJP and its allies in Uttar Pradesh under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Thursday.
Addressing party workers at the State headquarters after the poll results and trends showed a clear BJP majority, he said the “misleading” campaign run by the Opposition over the past 2-3 days have been set aside by the people who reposed faith in the good governance of the BJP.
He was apparently taking a dig at Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav for raising questions over EVMs.
Mr. Adityanath greeted PM Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP president J. P. Nadda and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for ensuring the return of the BJP for a second consecutive term in Uttar Pradesh.
The Chief Minister was sprayed with gulal (dry colour) by State party president Swatantra Dev Singh and others to celebrate the party’s victory in the elections. -PTI
Swami Prasad Maurya trails by huge margin from Fazilnagar
Swami Prasad Maurya is currently trailing by over 36,000 votes to BJP candidate Surendra Kumar Kushwaha in Fazilnagar constituency.
Mr. Maurya had resigned from Yogi Adityanath’s cabinet and quit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to join SP, shortly before the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
Just 0.43% votes for Asaddudin Owaisi’s AIMIM in U.P. polls
Most of the candidates of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) have not been able to cross the 5,000-mark in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, according to poll trends on Thursday.
The vote share of the Asaddudin Owaisi-led party was just around 0.43% of the total votes polled across the 403 assembly seats in the State, the Election Commission website showed.
The AIMIM had claimed to have fielded candidates in 100 seats for the UP Assembly elections, with a focus on the constituencies where the Muslim community is in majority. - PTI
Shivpal Yadav wins from Jaswantnagar
Samajwadi Party’s (SP) Shivpal Singh Yadav wins from Jaswantnagar constituency.
Mr. Yadav defeated Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Vivek Shakya by over 90,000 votes.
Akhilesh Yadav and Mr. Shivpal Yadav had fallen out in 2017. Mr. Shivpal Yadav floated a new party in 2018 and called it Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party-Lohia. The two leaders came together for the 2022 Uttar Pradesh elections “to defeat BJP”.
Keshav Prasad Maurya trails from Sirathu
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya trails in Sirathu constituency.
Samajwadi Party’s Dr. Pallavi Patel has a marginal lead over Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Mr. Maurya after 25 rounds of counting.
BJP’s Suresh Rana, Sangeet Som trailing in western U.P.
BJP’s Suresh Rana, who served as a Minister in the Yogi Adityanath-government, and controversial MLA Sangeet Som were trailing from their respective Assembly seats in western Uttar Pradesh, according to poll trends.
Mr. Rana is contesting from Thana Bhawan in Shamli district where he was trailing Rashtriya Lok Dal’s Ashraf Ali Khan. Mr. Khan got 79,964 votes while Rana polled 67,473 votes till 5 p.m., the Election Commission website showed.
In Meerut’s Sardhana constituency, Mr. Som bagged 99,887 votes while Samajwadi Party’s Atul Pradhan got 1.18 lakh votes till 5 p.m., it showed.
Mr. Som was an accused in the Muzaffarnagar riots case and has been known for making communally charged statements. Final results of the election are yet to be announced.
Both Mr. Rana and Mr. Som had won by over 90,000 votes in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls to register victories. Shamli and Meerut districts are part of western Uttar Pradesh where the anti-farm laws protests were believed to have stirred up anti-BJP sentiments. - PTI
BJP’s win in UP due to communal polarisation, control of media, money power: CPI(M)
The CPI(M) on Thursday said the BJP’s emphatic victory in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls is due to communal polarisation, control of sections of media and money power.
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.
“The BJP has won a second successive victory in the UP elections. With intensified communal polarisation, control over large sections of media and immense money power, the BJP retained government with a reduced majority. Despite the immense economic hardships faced by the people, relief measures like provision of free foodgrains have had an impact,” a statement by the CPI(M) said. - PTI
BJP’s Anjula Singh Mahaur leads from Hathras
Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Anjula Singh Mahaur leads in Hathras constituency.
On September 14, 2020, Hathras district was shaken by the gruesome gang rape and murder of a 19-year-old woman. She was admitted to a hospital in Aligarh, from where she was shifted to Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi. She died on September 29.
The incident sparked a public outrage when the victim’s body was hurriedly cremated by local authorities in the early hours of September 30.
In Sadabad constituency of Hathras district, Rashtriya Lok Dal candidate Pradeep Kumar Singh is currently leading while Dr. Lalit Pratap Baghel of Samajwadi Party is leading in Sikandra Rao, another constituency in the same district. BJP is, however, trailing only marginally in both Sadabad and Sikandra Rao.
In the 2017 Assembly elections, BJP had won in Hathras and Sikandra Rao constituencies of Hathras district. Bahujan Samaj Party had won in Sadabad constituency.
Assembly poll results put BJP on firm wicket for Presidential elections
The BJP’s victory in the Assembly polls on Thursday has put the party on a stronger wicket for the election for the post of President expected later this year.
The big victory for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh has given Prime Minister Narendra Modi a free hand to decide on the successor to President Ram Nath Kovind, who will complete his tenure on July 24, 2022, political analysts said.
Had the Uttar Pradesh election results gone in favour of the Samajwadi Party, the BJP would have had to rely on the support of fence-sitters such as Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) who together control a sizeable chunk of votes.
The electoral college for the presidential election comprises elected members of Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and elected members of state legislative assemblies and that of NCT Delhi and Union Territory of Puducherry. Members of Legislative Councils and nominated members do not form part of the electoral college. - PTI
Azam Khan, Nahid Hasan leading from Rampur and Kairana respectively
Both Azam Khan and Nahid Hasan, Samajwadi Party’s (SP) candidates currently lodged in jail, lead in their constituencies in 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
Azam Khan is contesting from Rampur while Nahid Hasan is a candidate in Kairana constituency of UP. Abdullah Azam Khan, Mr. Azam Khan’s son who himself has multiple criminal cases against him, is also comfortably cruising towards victory in Suar constituency.
Sandeep Yadav and Yogesh Verma, other big names from SP with multiple criminal cases against them, are both trailing in their constituencies Allahabad North and Hastinapur respectively. Meanwhile, SP’s Atul Pradhan, who also declared criminal cases against himself before the election, is leading in Sardhana.
Among other candidates with criminal cases, BJP’s Maninder Pal is trailing marginally in Siwalkhas. INC’s Louise Khurshid, the wife of Congress leader Salman Khurshid, has only managed to secure one percent of votes so far. Bahujan Samaj Party’s (BSP) Aman Mani Tripathi, accused of killing his wife, is trailing in Nautanwa constituency.
According to a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), 224 SP candidates have criminal records against them – 65% of the total analysed records of the party. Bharatiya Janata Party fielded 169 candidates with criminal cases, while Congress fielded 160. Thirty-eight percent of BSP candidates contesting the 2022 UP Assembly elections have declared criminal cases against themselves.
Officers who quit ED, IPS to join BJP leading in UP polls
BJP candidates Asim Arun, who had quit the Indian Police Service, and Rajeshwar Singh, who resigned from the Enforcement Directorate, to fight the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, were leading from their respective seats.
Mr Arun was leading from the Kannauj seat with over 1.20 lakh votes and closely trailed by Samajwadi Party's Anil Doharey, who polled 1.14 lakh votes till 4 pm, the Election Commission website showed.
Asim Arun, a 1994-batch IPS officer, was an additional director general-rank officer serving as the Kanpur Police Commissioner when he sought VRS on January 8.
Dr Singh was leading from Sarojini Nagar seat in Lucknow with 52,199 votes to his name, while his nearest rival SP's Abhishek Mishra got 34,767 votes till 4 pm.
Rajeshwar Singh had started his career as a Provincial Police Services (PPS) officer (1996 batch) in Uttar Pradesh. He had joined the force after completing his B.Tech from IIT-Dhanbad and had been posted as a circle officer in many parts of Lucknow.
A PhD in police, human rights and social justice, Dr Singh joined the Enforcement Directorate, a central investigating agency that probes cases of money laundering and foreign exchange violation crimes, on deputation in 2007.
Akhilesh leads in Karhal
Samajwadi Party president Akhikesh Yadav is leading by a massive margin in Karhal, with a lead of over 50,000 votes from the BJP’s SP Singh Bagel.
With U.P. victory, Adityanath is first among equals among BJP CMs
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday created a record of sorts by not just breaking the pattern of alternation in the State that had set in three decades ago but also by becoming the first Chief Minister of the State from the BJP to complete a full five-year term. The BJP also increased its vote share in the State from 39.7% in the 2017 Assembly polls to around 42% (counting was still on at the time of writing) in 2022.
SP still hopeful
The Samajwadi Party alleged that the ruling BJP is spreading rumours of its victory in the UP Assembly polls and claimed that after the declaration of the final results, it will form next government in the state.
When asked about BJP men celebrating their victory, SP state president Naresh Uttam Patel said, "Till now, only 50 per cent counting is over. By celebrating, the BJP is spreading rumours." He alleged that the victory of SP candidates is not declared on the Election Commission website so that rumours could be spread.
Appealing to party workers, Patel said, "SP workers should not be disheartened and remain there at counting centres. When final results will come, the SP will win and Akhilesh Yadav will become the chief minister."
Adityanath busts 'Noida jinx' after three decades
With the BJP looking set to secure a straight second term in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday appeared to have successfully busted what was dubbed as the "Noida Jinx".
A myth was nurtured for nearly three decades that any chief minister of Uttar Pradesh who visited Noida in Gautam Buddh Nagar district was doomed to go out of power.
The "Noida jinx" took root after chief minister Veer Bahadur Singh had to step down in June 1988, a few days after he returned from Noida. Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav, Rajnath Singh and Kalyan Singh have avoided visiting Noida when they were chief ministers. The then Chief Minister Mayawati visited the city in November 2007, to attend a wedding. But she was ousted in 2012.
Yogi Adityanath, who had stormed to power in UP in 2017, has visited Noida nearly a dozen times since becoming the UP chief minister and launched the Noida Metro, among other development projects in the region over the years. - PTI
Holi comes early for BJP; disbelief at SP office
The mood at the Samajwadi Party (SP) headquarters in Lucknow changed from that of jubiliation to despondency in matter of three-hours on March 10. At 8.30 a.m. as the initial trends for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election results started pouring in, the gaint television screens stationed outside the party headquarter at Lucknow showed the SP standing neck to neck with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The crowd of supporters and workers hopeful of impending victory raised slogans and surged towards these screens taking over the road but by 11.30 a.m. as the numbers started slipping, the party workers stared at the same screens with disbelief.
The disbelief soon turned into anger, primarily against the EVMs which, as per the narrative built up by the SP leadership especially party president Akhilesh Yadav, stole what was their rightful mandate. The anger was also directed at Mr. Yadav and the party leadership. Unlike, the BJP office, here the gates to the party office remained shut from morning. There were no words of assurance, no pats on the back and no consolation on offer. Mr. Yadav’s communication to his cadres was restricted to the social media.
BJP leads from all constituencies of Lakhimpur Kheri district
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leads in all eight constituencies under Lakhimpur Kheri district in Uttar Pradesh.
In October 2021, four protesting farmers were killed in the district after being run over by a car that was part of a convoy of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs and BJP MP Ajay Kumar Mishra. The minister’s son Ashish Mishra was jailed in connection with the case but was granted bail by the Allahabad High Court in February 2022.
Rashtriya Lok Dal leading from 10 seats
Rashtriya Lok Dal is leading from 10 seats as per the latest trends update.
Though an ally of the Samajwadi Party, the RLD had released its own separate manifesto. Earlier in the year, Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah had said that the RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary had “picked the wrong house”, but that possibilities could be explored after the polls. “
Mr. Chaudhary had called this overture, “a clever political strategy”
Most turncoat candidates trailing
Former Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister Swami Prasad Maurya trails in Fazilnagar constituency as a candidate of Samajwadi Party (SP).
Mr. Maurya had resigned from Yogi Adityanath’s cabinet and quit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to join SP, shortly before the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
Dharam Singh Saini, another minister who had quit Adityanath’s Cabinet and joined SP, is currently leading in Nakur constituency.
BJP had seen an exodus of MLAs right before the elections in UP. Most of them joined Akhilesh Yadav’s SP. Out of these MLAs, only Roshanlal Verma is currently leading in Tilhar constituency while all others are trailing on their seats. The trailing candidates include Brijesh Prajapati (Tindwari), Bhagwati Sagar (Ghatampur), Dara Singh Chauhan (Ghosi), Mukesh Verma (Shikohabad), and Avtar Singh Bhadana (Jewar).
In Mr. Adityanath’s Cabinet, Mr. Maurya was the Minister of Labour, Employment and Coordination, Mr. Saini was the Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ayush, Food Security and Drug Administration, and Mr. Chauhan was the Minister of Forest, Environment, Zoological Garden departments
BJP’s Dhirendra Singh leading in Jewar
BJP’s Dhirendra Singh was leading from Jewar in Gautam Buddh Nagar district of Uttar Pradeh on Thursday by a margin of over 20,000 votes, according to poll trends.
Mr. Singh was leading over his nearest rival RLD’s Avtar Singh Bhadana by 20,204 votes at 1.00 p.m., the Election Commission website showed.
Mr. Singh, who had polled 49% of the votes in 2017 to emerge victorious, is considered close to UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and a key person behind the upcoming airport in the constituency.-PTI
BJP supporters celebrate with flowers in Varanasi on March 10, 2022. | Photo Credit: PTI
Bharatiya Janata Party leads in 255 seats out of 403 constituencies
As per the latest trends, the ruling party was leading the vote share from 255 constituencies, with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath leading the Gorakhpur Urban constituency by more than 28,000 votes.
After six rounds of counting, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya was trailing behind Samajwadi Party’s Pallavi Patel, in the Sirathu constituency.
BJP parliamentary board meeting likely on Thursday evening
The BJP parliamentary board, its apex organisational body, is likely to meet later on Thursday to review the party's performance in assembly polls in five States as initial trends projected a thumping victory for the party in Uttar Pradesh.
As of 12.50 p.m. the ruling party was leading in 252 out of the 403 seats.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address party workers at the BJP headquarters in the evening, sources said.
Top party leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and party president J.P. Nadda, will be attending the parliamentary board meeting.-PTI
Congress State president Ajay Kumar Lallu trails from Tamkuhi Raj
Uttar Pradesh Congress State president Ajay Kumar Lallu is trailing from Tamkuhi Raj constituency.
Mr. Lallu, the sitting MLA from Tamkuhi Raj, secured 8,232 votes so far, his nearest rival BJP candidate Asim Kumar has got 29,271 votes, according to the Election Commission. Samajwadi Party candidate Uday Narayan got 10,894 votes.-PTI
Data | 2022 Uttar Pradesh polls: How the BJP and SP are performing in farmer-intensive districts
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and allies appear to be losing considerable share of votes in Uttar Pradesh districts where more than 50% of the labour force works in agriculture and allied sectors.
In districts where agriculture workers account for more than 75% of the workforce, BJP+ is leading on 56 seats, seven less than its final count recorded in 2017. In districts where agriculture workers range between 55 and 75%, BJP+ appears to be losing 24 seats according to the latest trends.
Samajwadi Party (SP) and allies are making strides in the farming-intensive areas where BJP+ is losing. In districts with more than 75% agriculture workers, SP+ is leading on nine seats more than it won in 2017. In the 55-75% bracket, the alliance is leading on 54 seats, 33 more than it won in 2017.
BJP workers celebrating at party office, in Lucknow on March 10, 2022. | Photo Credit: SANDEEP SAXENA
Nishad Party leads in five constituencies
Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal (Nishad) Party leads in five constituencies in Uttar Pradesh.
Nishad Party is contesting the Assembly elections in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The party was founded in 2016 by Sanja Nishad and draws support from the Nishad community of boatmen and fishermen, and sub-castes such as Bind, Mallah and Manjhi, whose traditional occupations centre around rivers flowing through the Gangetic belt.
Nishad Party’s Vijay Mishra had secured a win in Gyanpur constituency in the 2017 Assembly elections. In 2020, Mishra and his son were booked on charges of raping a Varanasi-based singer. He is contesting the elections this year as a member of the Pragatisheel Manav Samaj Party from Gyanpur constituency.
Data | 2022 Uttar Pradesh polls: BJP’s performance in the seats won in 2017
Out of the 322 seats won by the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies in 2017, the Samajwadi Party and its allies were leading on 76 seats. Therefore, SP+ secured 34.7% of vote share lead so far in the seats won by the BJP in 2017.
Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya marginally trails from Sirathu
Uttar Pradesh’s Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya was shown as trailing marginally from the Sirathu constituency, behind Samajwadi Party’s Pallavi Patel.
Sirathu was among the 325 seats won by the BJP in 2017. In the wake of OBC leaders Swami Prasad Maurya and Dara Singh Chauhan quitting the BJP, Keshav Prasad Maurya’s significance as the OBC face of the party increased.
Keshav Prasad Maurya, is the RSS-BJP’s home-grown Maurya face, groomed in Hindutva as part of the party’s OBC project to appeal to non-Yadav backward class communities, in sharp contrast to Swami Prasad Maurya, who identifies as an Ambedkarite and has spent most of his political life in the BSP and socialist parties, often at loggerheads with Brahminical ideas.
SP says early trends ‘not authentic’, appeals to workers to stay put till counting ends
The Samajwadi Party on Thursday said initial trends in Uttar Pradesh were "not authentic" and asked its workers to stay put at local assembly election offices till the counting of votes ends.
"These trends are not authentic, a perception is being made that BJP is winning, so that the morale of the workers can be broken and results manipulated dishonestly after 3 PM. It is an appeal to the workers to stay put at the spot till the last results!” the Samajwadi Party's media cell tweeted in Hindi.
"These trends are not authentic, a perception is being made that BJP is winning, so that the morale of the workers can be broken and results manipulated dishonestly after 3 PM. It is an appeal to the workers to stay put at the spot till the last results!” the Samajwadi Party's media cell tweeted in Hindi.-PTI
Samajwadi Party marginally improves its performance in Lucknow district
Samajwadi Party (SP) marginally improves its performance in the constituencies under Lucknow district of Uttar Pradesh.
SP is currently leading on three seats in Lucknow district – Lucknow North, Sarojini Nagar, and Mohanlalganj.
In the 2017 Assembly elections, BJP had managed to win eight out of nine seats in Lucknow district while SP had won in one constituency.
Currently, BJP is leading on six seats – Lucknow Cantt., Lucknow Central, Lucknow East, Lucknow West, Malihabad, and Bakshi ka Talab.
Polling staff during counting day of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, at a counting centre in Aligarh district, on March 10, 2022. | Photo Credit: PTI
RLD’s Ahmed Hameed marginally trails behind BJP’s Yogesh Dhama from Bagpat
Rashtriya Lok Dal’s (RLD) Ahmed Hameed is marginally trailing against Bharatiya Janata Party’s Yogesh Dhama in Bagpat constituency.
Jaiveer of RLD is leading with a strong majority in Baraut constituency of Baghpat district, while Ajay Kumar of the same party has a slight lead over BJP’s Sahender Singh Ramala in Chhaprauli.
Baghpat district was an important centre for farmers’ protest in western Uttar Pradesh. In November 2020, farmers had launched a huge protest on the outskirts of Delhi and nearby areas of western UP, Punjab, and so on. The protest against the three new farm laws passed by the Parliament in September 2020 lasted for a year and was called off only after the laws were repealed.
Samajwadi Party’s Swami Prasad Maurya trails in Fazilnagar
Swami Prasad Maurya of the Samajwadi Party was trailing by more than 5,000 votes in the Fazilnagar constituency, behind Surendra Kumar Kushwaha of the BJP.
Earlier in the year senior OBC leader Swami Prasad Maurya, had quit the Yogi Adityanath government where he had held the position oof Minister for Labour, employment and coordination, to join the Samajwadi Party
Resigning from the party, Mr. Maurya had said, he had carried out his ministerial duties diligently despite “adverse circumstances” and ideological differences with the BJP.
Yogi Adityanath leads from Gorakhpur (Urban) constituency
Latest trends show Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath leading from the Gorakhpur (Urban) constituency with a margin of more than 4,000 votes.
This is the first Assembly election fought by Mr. Adityanath, and has in the past represented the Lok Sabha constituency here. Mr. Adityanath is also the head of the Gorakhnath Peeth of the Nath Sampradaya.
The Samajwadi Party put up Subhavati Shukla, widow of former BJP U.P. vice president Upendra Shukla, who had contested the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat and lost it in the bypoll after Yogi Adityanath resigned the seat to become the Chief Minister.
Scene outside Ramabai Ambedkar counting centre for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election results, in Lucknow on March 10, 2022. | Photo Credit: SANDEEP SAXENA
BJP crosses majority mark in Uttar Pradesh
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) crosses majority mark in Uttar Pradesh, ECI trends show.
The party appears well-positioned to return to power in the state. No other political party has been able to achieve the feat since 1985. It is currently leading in 215 constituencies.
Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party (SP), touted as one of BJP’s major opponents in the State, is leading on 89 seats.
Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is leading in five seats while the Indian National Congress (INC) is ahead in three.
Akhilesh Yadav leads from Karhal
Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav leads in Karhal constituency in Uttar Pradesh.
Meanwhile, Akhilesh Yadav’s uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav is facing a close contest against BJP’s Vivek Shakya in Jaswantnagar constituency.
Swami Prasad Maurya, who resigned from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's cabinet shortly before the elections to join SP, is trailing in Fazilnagar.
BJP leads in 116 consituencies, Samajwadi party leading in 55 seats
The latest trends from the ECI show the Bharatiya Janata Party leading in 116 consituencies, while the Samajwadi party leads in 55 seats.
Akhilesh Yadav (SP) leads from the constituency of Karhal, Asim Arun (BJP) holds lead in Kannauj constituency.
Man Pal Singh (SP) leads from the Kasganj constituency.
Counting of EVM votes at Ramabai Ambedkar counting centre for Uttar Pradesh Assembly Election results, in Lucknow on March 10, 2022 | Photo Credit: SANDEEP SAXENA
BJP leads in 48 seats, while Samajwadi Party holds lead in 24 constituencies
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is leading in 48 constituencies in Uttar Pradesh.
Anupriya Patel’s Apna Dal (Soneylal) is leading on four seats. The party is contesting the 2022 Assembly elections in UP in alliance with the BJP.
Samajwadi Party is leading in 24 constituencies so far, while its ally Rashtriya Lok Dal is ahead in two.
Both the Indian National Congress and Raghuraj Pratap Singh’s Jansatta Dal Loktantrik are leading in two constituencies.
First trends in for Uttar Pradesh, BJP leads in Tindwari, Sandila and Nehtaur constituency
Early trends released by the Election Commission of India (ECI) show the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is leading on three seats in Uttar Pradesh.
BJP candidates Ramkesh Nishad and Alka Singh are leading in Tindwari and Sandila constituencies of UP respectively.
Omkumar of the BJP was leading from Nehtaur constituency
Counting of votes began at 8.00 a.m., with postal ballots being counted first.
In the 2017 Assembly elections, BJP won 312 of the 403 seats in the state. The majority mark is 202.
As counting for 403 seats is under way in the State of Uttar Pradesh, scenes from outside the Samajwadi Party Office
Counting begins amid tight security arrangements in U.P.
The counting of votes for the 403 Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh began on Thursday morning with a three-layer security in place and cameras installed at all centres.
“The counting in all 75 districts of the state began at 8 am with postal ballots being counted first,” a senior election official said.
VVPAT (voter-verified paper audit trail) slips of five machines will be counted in every Assembly constituency.
The official said cameras have been installed at all counting centres.
Police said 250 CAPF companies have been deployed. A CAPF company usually has around 70-80 personnel.
As many as 625 gazetted officers of the UP Police, 1,807 inspectors, 9,598 sub-inspectors, 11,627 head constables and 48,649 constables have also been deployed, the officials added.-PTI
Counting of votes to start from 8.00 a.m.
Counting of votes for all the five States will start from 8.00 a.m., according to the Election Commission of India’s website.
Varanasi official suspended over EVM protocol
The Election Commission of India (EC) ordered action against an “erring official” in Varanasi for not following the protocol for transporting electronic voting machines (EVM), an EC official said on Wednesday, a day after the Samajwadi Party (SP) accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of sabotaging the mandate after its workers intercepted a truck carrying EVMs.
Moods swing as the BJP and SP await U.P. poll results
On the eve of crucial Uttar Pradesh Assembly election results, there’s an atmosphere of distrust and doubt in the air, with Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav raising questions over the electronic voting machines (EVM) and exhorting his party workers to be alert towards any attempts to steal the mandate.
