Sawdesh Desk:

The BJP appeared to take an unassailable lead over rivals in Indian state Uttar Pradesh, crossing the majority mark of 202, as the Samajwadi Party trailed in double digits, NDTV reports.

In Punjab, the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has crossed the halfway mark while the ruling Congress was seen leading in below 10 seats. Amarinder Singh, former Chief Minister, trailing in his constituency of Patiala Urban seat.

The BJP is moving ahead of the Congress in Goa and Uttarakhand.

The Assembly Election Results in five states, including the politically significant Uttar Pradesh, will be declared today. Besides Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur held state polls.

The assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh – held in seven phases over a month – witnessed a high-octane campaign between the ruling BJP and Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party. Seeking to override anti-incumbency, the BJP raised issues like law-and-order problems during the Samajwadi Party government and dubbed its rivals as “dynasts living in palaces and moving in big cars”.

The Congress, which has been reduced to a virtual non-player in Uttar Pradesh over the past years, attempted to win voters with the ‘ladki hoon,lad sakti hoon’ campaign, on issues related to women and their security and questioned the “caste and religion-based politics” during the BJP rule.

Meanwhile, the BSP, which led a low-key campaign for the most part, targeted the rivals on issues of inflation, poverty, unemployment and stray cattle menace.

In Punjab, the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has emerged as big challenger to the Congress which is riddled by infighting. Other contenders in the poll battle include the Shiromani Akali Dal and former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh’s Punjab Lok Congress, which has joined hands with the BJP.

The hill state of Uttarakhand witnessed a three-pronged contest with the ruling BJP, Congress and Aam Aadmi Party vying for power in the 70-seat assembly.

The Assembly polls in Goa were held in a single phase this time and all 40 constituencies voted the same day. With defections and horse-trading emerging as a key poll issue in the state, several parties, including Congress, have made attempts to safeguard their candidates.

In Manipur, the BJP has gone solo and contested all seats alone. The Congress, on the other hand, has forged an alliance of six political parties and named it Manipur Progressive Secular Alliance.