The Weekend Leader - BJP, Cong neck-and-neck in Hry; NDA set to return in Maha

BJP, Cong neck-and-neck in Hry; NDA set to return in Maha

New Delhi

24-October-2019

Haryana on Thursday looked set for a hung Assembly as the latest trends showed the ruling BJP and the Congress leading in 37 and 34 seats, respectively, in the 90-member House.

In Maharashtra, however, the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena combine appeared comfortably ahead of the Opposition Congress-NCP alliance and looked all set to retain power.

According to the latest trends available with the Election Commission from all the 90 seats, no party seemed to be in a position to cross the halfway mark of 45 in Haryana.

While the BJP and the Congress were ahead in 37 and 34 seats, respectively, newcomer Jannayak Janata Dal (JJP) was leading in 9 constituencies and could possibly play the role of a kingmaker, along with Independents who were leading in 6 Assembly segments.

INLD, which had ruled the state for four times, was leading in merely 2 seats.

The BJP, which had won 47 seats in the last Assembly elections in 2014, had been expressing confidence about raising its tally beyond 75 seats this time, which looks a far cry at the moment.

The trends indicate a shocker for the saffron party, particularly since it had won all the 10 seats in Haryana in the Lok Sabha elections held just five months back.

The BJP had formed the government in Haryana for the first time in 2014, when it improved its tally from 4 in the previous elections.

The Congress, on the other hand, seeems to have improved its performance substantially this time as the trends showed it leading at 34 seats. In the last Assembly polls, it had managed 15 seats while it failed to open its account in the April-May Lok Sabha elections.

The INLD, which ruled the state the last time from 2000 to 2004, stood second with 19 seats in the last Assembly elections and was the main Opposition party in the outgoing House.

JJP was formed in December last year after Dushyant Chautala, grandson of four-time Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, split from the INLD following a bitter fight in the family.

The Congress has already begun efforts to woo JJP leader Dushyant Chautala.

In Maharashtra, where 288 seats are at stake, the BJP was ahead in 102 constituencies and its ally Shiv Sena was leading in 61 seats, taking the combined tally to 163 seats.

From the Opposition camp, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) was leading in 54 seats and its coalition partner Congress was ahead in 41 constituencies. Independents were ahead in 14 constituencies.

Going by the trends, the BJP's tally is lesser by 20 seats, compared to its performance in the last Assembly elections held in 2014. Shiv Sena had 63 seats last time.

The NCP appears to have improved its performance significantly as it had got 41 seats in the last Assembly elections, when the Congress had managed 42 seats.IANS 



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