Anticipating a victory, BJP supporters have started celebrating across India
Counting of votes for the general election 2014 is underway. In early leads, the BJP and its allies have shot ahead, leading in about 158 of 284 constituencies for which trends are already available.
Here are the latest developments:
The Congress is ahead in 61 seats and, importantly, seems to be trailing in seats it had won last time. It must be emphasised that these are very early trends and can change.
The BJP is not just retaining its seats, but is gaining in quite a few.
In the crucial Uttar Pradesh, the BJP is ahead and is gaining seats.
In Karnataka, the BJP is ahead, the Congress trails.
In Kerala, the Congress-led UDF and the Left-led LDF are neck and neck.
Narendra Modi's Gujarat, which hopes to give the country its next Prime Minister, looks set for a BJP sweep. (Modi at Home, Watching Television for Now)
The marathon six-week parliamentary election saw a 66 per cent voter turnout, a new record; 55.16 crore people voted in 543 Lok Sabha constituencies. (India Sets New Record for Voter Turnout at Over 66%)
Before a single vote was counted, posters appeared overnight across Varanasi congratulating Narendra Modi, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate, for his victory. Mr Modi has contested from Varanasi. (Across Varanasi, Posters Congratulate Narendra Modi)
Exit polls said the Congress faces its worst ever defeat after 10 years in power. The Congress' chief spokesperson Ajay Maken said this morning that the party was not "willing to concede defeat," but said he took "responsibility for failure of the Congress media strategy." (NDTV Exit Poll: 279 for BJP and Allies, Congress in Double Digits)
The BJP's best showing so far was in elections in 1998 and 1999 when it won 182 seats and ran the country until a shock defeat at the hands of the Congress in 2004.
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