Opposition Seen Performing Better Than Expected in India’s General Election Counting

Narendra Modi, the incumbent MP in Uttar Pradesh‘s Varanasi, is maintaining a comfortable lead of over 98,000 votes as the counting unfolds.

In Amethi, a long-time bastion of the Congress party, BJP‘s Smriti Irani appears to be trailing behind Congress-nominated KL Sharma by about 50,700 votes.

Early trends show the BJP-led NDA alliance leading in 298 seats, although lower than the BJP’s initial expectations of crossing 400 seats.

Amid the counting, Delhi is closely watched with all seven seats seemingly in favor of Mr. Modi’s NDA coalition.

The popular Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal‘s Delhi electorate campaign, despite recent legal challenges, shows the BJP leading in all seats, a contrast to the anticipated keen contest.

As speculation arises about BJP’s target of over 400 seats, early trends signal a tighter contest between the BJP and Congress-led INDIA alliance, with potential uncertainties about a majority government.

Party workers at Congress headquarters celebrate the opposition INDIA coalition’s better-than-expected performance in battleground states such as Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.

In states like Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, the Congress-led INDIA alliance appears to be performing better than anticipated, with significant leads in key battleground regions.

Early trends from West Bengal show the Trinamool Congress (TMC) leading in nine constituencies, with the BJP and Congress also securing leads in two and one constituency, respectively.

In Punjab‘s Khadoor Sahib, a hotly contested seat, independent candidate Amritpal Singh, currently in Dibrugarh jail in Assam, holds a lead in the election counting.