The INDIA alliance is thus making a strong visible comeback in several of the politically sensitive Hindi heartland states: vote counting trends on Tuesday indicated the INDIA leaders in 42 of the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, the most populous Indian state. From Rajasthan to Bihar, Haryana, and Jharkhand, performance has also improved significantly. Yet, Modi’s BJP-led National Democratic Alliance or NDA is set for a third term largely to script a victory, though it will not be as comprehensive as projected by virtually all the exit polls.
Still, the most stunning quirky horse race bet came from Uttar Pradesh the stronghold of Samajwadi Party leading the race in 35 of the seats and the Congress leading in seven based on current ground trends. Out of the total 80-seater UP Assembly, the BJP is ahead in Thirty-Four seats while its alliance partners, such as Rashtriya Lok Dal, Apna Dal, and Aazad Samaj Party, have leads in Two, One, and one seats, respectively.
This performance is almost a complete reversal of the position the opposition bloc was in for BJP supremacy in the state in the previous years, 2014, when BJP garnered 71 seats, and in the following years, 2019, when it got 62 seats. In the previous general election, while the Samajwadi Party secured five seats, the Congress party obtained only one seat, and BSP was able to secure ten seats.
The INDIA alliance has also tasted success in Rajasthan, Haryana, Bihar, and Jharkhand and has remained impregnable for BJP in subsequent general elections. Twenty-two candidates have filed their nomination for the Rajya Sabha in Rajasthan: the BJP for 18 seats, and the Congress for four seats. It may be recalled that in the recently held 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had grabbed all the 25 seats of Rajasthan.
Check here for the latest updates in Hindi!