The ruling BJP appeared on course to retain power in Uttar Pradesh, with poll trends on Thursday, March 10, showing the party-led alliance leading in 272 seats as against 123 of its nearest rival Samajwadi Party. The state has 403 assembly seats and 202 seats are needed to form a majority government. Trends are available for all 403 seats so far.
Prominent candidates who have secured a lead include Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from Gorakhpur Urban, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav from Karhal, Shivpal Yadav from Jaswant Nagar and Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhana Shukla from Rampur Khas (Pratapgarh). Adityanath is heading for a landslide victory in Gorakhpur Urban seat leading over his nearest rival, SP's Subhawati Shukla.
However, Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya is trailing from Sirathu seat while Swami Prasad Maurya of the SP is also trailing from Fazil Nagar seat. Congress State president Ajay Kumar Lallu is trailing from Tumkuhi Raj.
According to official trends available for 403 seats, the BJP is leading in 259 seats while its allies Apna Dal (S) and Nishad party are leading in 10 and three seats, respectively. While the Samajwadi Party is leading in 112 seats, its allies SBSP and RLD are leading in three and eight seats respectively.
The BSP and the Congress were leading in three and two seats, respectively. Two candidates of the Jansatta Dal, including Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya in Kunda seat, were leading. The BJP's vote percentage is 42.3, while the SP got 31.6% votes. The Congress has got a meagre 2.40%, while the BSP got 12.7%.
In 2017, the BJP got 312 seats and its allies Apna Dal and SBSP nine and four seats, respectively. The SP got 47, BSP 19, Congress 7 and others five seats in the last assembly elections.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was heading for a landslide victory and was leading by around 51,000 votes from Gorakhpur Urban seat.
According to updated Election Commission figures, Adityanath has secured 80,510 votes while his nearest rival, Samajwadi Party's Subhawati Shukla, bagged 28,536 votes.
The BSP's Khwaja Shamsuddin has secured 4,507 votes and Chandra Shekhar of Azad Samaj Party 4,157votes.
A total of 628 NOTA votes was polled so far in the key constituency.
Adityanath, contesting his first assembly election, did not seem to be getting much fight from rivals on the Gorakhpur seat.
While Adityanath was watching the poll outcome from his official residence in Lucknow, his supporters at the Gorakhpur Math and also at the party office started celebrating his and the BJP's victory in the state.
A large number of party workers had already gathered at the BJP's party office in Beniganj in Gorakhpur. They were raising slogans like "Modi-Yogi zindabad" and "Jai Shri Ram". Some of them also burst crackers and took out a small march.