BJP cruising ahead in Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh witnesses tough battle

As per trends at 9.49 am, the BJP is ahead in 144 seats in the 189-seat assembly.

The Congress is leading in 25 seats.

The Aam Aadmi Party is marching in 10 seats.

In Himachal Pradesh, the BJP is leading in 34 seats while the Congress is giving a tough battle to the saffron brigade by marching ahead in 31 seats.

The AAP has failed to open an account in the Assembly so far.

In Gujarat, elections took place in 182 seats and in Himachal voters decided the fates of candidates contesting in 68 seats.

The elections to the 182 member state assembly in Gujarat were held in two phases- December 1 and December 5- with a total voter turnout of 66.38 per cent.

The state, that traditionally has remained a battlefield between BJP and Congress, has witnessed the entry of a third party- the Arvind Kejriwal led Aam Aadmi Party for the first time making the elections a triangular contest.

Exit polls have predicted a clear victory for the BJP.

The BJP had won 99 seats and the Congress had won 77 seats in 2017.

In Himachal Pradesh, the elections in the hilly state were conducted in one single phase on November 12. The state registered a record voter turnout of 75.6 per cent in the polls.

The current assembly, for which the elections were held in 2017, has 44 MLAs of the BJP, while the Congress has 21 MLAs. Two MLAs are Independents and the CPM has one seat.

Traditionally, the BJP and Congress have remained the two contenders to rule the state.

No incumbent government has returned to power in Himachal Pradesh for a second consecutive term since 1982.