Assembly polls: BJP retains power in four states, AAP sweeps Punjab

11.08 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulates the Aam Aadmi Party for its victory in the Punjab Assembly election. “I assure all possible support from the Centre for Punjab’s welfare,” he says.

9.18 pm: Commenting on the Punjab election results, AAP spokesperson Raghav Chadha said that the election was a victory for people who chose “honest governance” instead of traditional parties.

“Humne Punjabiyon ko kaha tha ki jhaadu chala do, Punjabiyon ne vacuum cleaner hi chala diya [We asked the people of Punjab to go for the broom, and they went straight for the vacuum cleaner,” Chadha remarked, referring to the AAP’s poll symbol.

9.00 pm: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor calls for a reform in the organisational leadership of the party, in the aftermath of its defeats in the Assembly elections.

“One thing is clear - Change is unavoidable if we need to succeed,” he says.

8.25 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi says that BJP workers will continue to work to alert the people against “separatist politics” in the border state of Punjab.

“I assure the people of Punjab that in the upcoming five years, every BJP worker there will undertake this responsibility with enthusiasm,” he says.

8.15 pm: Commenting on the BJP’s victories in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi says that all four states have different challenges and development paths.

“But the common thread that runs through them is trust in the BJP, its policies and its intentions,” Modi says.

8.00 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi says that the BJP secured victories in a hill state (Uttarakhand), a state that has the special blessings of the river Ganga (Uttar Pradesh), a coastal state (Goa), and a state in northeastern India (Manipur).

“Today, the BJP has received blessings from all four directions,” Modi says.

7.55 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is now addressing BJP workers at the party headquarters in Delhi.

“BJP workers had pledged to me that this time, the festival of Holi will begin on March 10,” Modi says. “They have fulfilled that promise.”

7.40 pm: JP Nadda notes that this is the first time that an incumbent party has been voted back to power in Uttarakhand.

“The people have given their blessings to the BJP in overwhelming numbers,” he says.

7.35 pm: Addressing BJP workers in Delhi, party chief JP Nadda says that the results of the elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur show that the people have given their seal of approval to the programmes and policies of the Narendra Modi government.

7.30 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reached the BJP headquarters in Delhi. He is expected to begin his speech soon.

7.18 pm: Visuals by ANI show BJP workers bursting firecrackers in Guwahati to celebrate the party’s victories in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.

7.15 pm: Incumbent Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami loses to Bhuwan Chandra Kapri of the Congress by a margin of 6,579 votes.

7.05 pm: BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis says that the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party in Goa has given a letter of support to the saffron party, ANI reports. He claims that three Independent MLAs have also expressed support to the BJP.

“There is a possibility that more candidates will join us,” Fadnavis says. “So we are forming the government.”

The majority mark in Goa is 21 seats, while the BJP has won 20 seats.

6.52 pm: The newly-formed Kuki People’s Alliance has registered victories in the constituencies of Saikul and Singhat in Manipur.

While Kimneo Haokip Hangshing has won from Saikul, Chinlunthang has won from Singhat.

6.40 pm: Visuals from ANI show BJP workers bursting firecrackers at the party office in Imphal to celebrate the party’s performance in the Manipur Assembly elections.

6.30 pm: Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief JP Nadda have reached the party headquarters in Delhi, ANI reports.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address BJP workers soon on the party’s victories in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.

6.25 pm: Home Minister Amit Shah congratulates Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh and state BJP chief Adhikarimayum Sharda Devi for the party’s poll performance.

“PM [Narendra Modi’s] resolve for a prosperous North-East has earned him a special place in the hearts of the people of our NE region, this victory is a testament to the same,” he says.

While congratulating Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, he says that BJP “will leave no stone unturned in fulfilling the aspirations of our sisters & brothers of Goa”.

6.10 pm: Union Home Minister Amit Shah thanks the people of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur for voting for the BJP. He also congratulates the chief ministers of the states.

“I thank the people of Uttarakhand for giving the BJP another chance to serve them,” Shah says. “Devbhoomi [the land of the gods] has expressed its unshakable trust in the development work and policies for public welfare of the BJP government under PM Narendra Modi’s leadership,” he says.

6.00 pm: Devabrata Singh, the Manipur Congress vice-president says that the party is facing a severe crisis, and was not expecting the defeat in the Assembly election, NDTV reports.

He, however, alleges that the BJP “manipulated every system” to gain power.

5.47 pm: Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane wins from the Valpoi constituency by a margin of 8,085 votes.

5.40 pm: The AAP has won 42.01% of the votes in Punjab, according to the Election Commission’s figures at 5.35 pm. The Congress has won 22.98% of the votes, while the Akali Dal has garnered 18.38% of the vote share.

5.36 pm: Former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh congratulates the BJP for winning the elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur. “I’m sure that the party will continue to work for the holistic development & prosperity of these states and it’s people,” he says.

Singh’s Punjab Lok Congress had allied with the BJP in the northern state, but the alliance could not make a mark. The BJP won two seats in Punjab, while the Punjab Lok Congress has not won any seats.

5.21 pm: In Manipur’s Uripok constituency, Deputy Chief Minister and National People’s Party leader Yumnam Joykumar Singh is trailing the BJP’s Khwairakpam Raghumani Singh by 909 votes.

5.17 pm: BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya says that the party’s wins in Uttarakhand, Goa, Manipur and Uttar Pradesh show that the people will make Narendra Modi the prime minister again in 2024, ANI reports.

5.03 pm: Incumbent Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami says that he was lucky to have been given the the chance to head the state government, NDTV reports.

“There was a myth, that governments change in every election but under PM Modi’s leadership we have broke all the records,” he says.

Dhami himself is trailing from his constituency of Khatima.

4.35 pm: Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh tells reporters in Imphal that the National People’s Party will not be a part of a coalition government.

“BJP is going to form its own government and one main thing is the PM’s mantra of sabka vikas, sabka vishwas, sabka prayas [development, trust and efforts of all the people],” he says. “Don’t think NPP will be part of coalition but NPF [Naga People’s Front] will not harm the coalition dharma.”

The BJP has emerged as the single-largest party in Manipur, as per the current figures. The NPP is currently ahead in six seats, while the NPF is ahead in five seats.

4.30 pm: The Bharatiya Janata has 13 seats and is leading in 13 other constituencies, according to the Election Commission’s latest figures.

The second largest party is the Janata Dal (United), which has won three seats, and is leading in four.

4.21 pm: Congress leader Harish Rawat says that he takes responsibility for the party’s defeat in the Uttarakhand Assembly election, ANI reports. He says that the party was confident that people would vote for a change, but remarked that the party’s efforts must have fallen short.

As per the current figures, the BJP has won or is leading in 47 out of 70 seats, while the Congress is ahead in 19 seats.

4.15 pm: Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala says that the results of the elections have not been as per the party’s expectations. He says that Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi will soon convene a meeting of the party’s working committee to introspect on the results.

4.06 pm: AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal says that his party has made a beginning towards honest politics in the past seven years.

“Through the Punjab election, people have said that Kejriwal is not a terrorist, but a true son of the country,” he says.

3.57 pm: In Uttarakhand’s Khatima constituency, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami is currently trailing Congress candidate Bhuwan Chandra Kapri by 7,225 votes, as per the Election Commission’s figures.

3.50 pm: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi says he “humbly accepts” the people’s verdict and expresses his best wishes to the winning parties.

“My gratitude to all Congress workers and volunteers for their hard work and dedication,” Gandhi says on Twitter. “We will learn from this and keep working for the interests of the people of India.”

The Congress is on its way to facing defeat in all five poll-bound states, as per current figures.

3.42 pm: Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has won from the Heingang constituency by a margin of 18,271 votes, as per the Election Commission’s figures.

Singh has defeated Congress candidate Pangeijam Saratchandra Singh.

3.30 pm: The AAP’s chief ministerial candidate for Punjab, Bhagwant Mann, has won from the Dhuri constituency with a margin of 58,206 votes, according to the Election Commission’s website.

3.22 pm: AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal describes the results of the Punjab election as a big “inquilab” (revolution), and notes that many senior leaders – including Charanjit Singh Channi, Navjot Singh Sidhu and Amarinder Singh – lost in their constituencies.

“Punjab waleon, tussi kamaal kar ditta [People of Punjab, you have performed a miracle],” he says to a cheering crowd.

3.14 pm: Former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat says that only a formal announcement about his defeat from the Lalkuan Assembly constituency remains. He apologises to the people of his constituency, and says that he could not succeed in winning their trust.

“They [people] chose a better candidate than me as their representative, and I congratulate the candidate and wish him the best for the future,” Rawat says.

The BJP’s Mohan Singh Bisht is leading in the Lalkuan constituency.

3.08 pm: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia says that the AAP will fulfill the dreams of BR Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh, ANI reports. “Now people have got an alternative in politics and the people of Punjab have given an opportunity to that alternative,” Sisodia says.

3.01 pm: Celebratory scenes outside AAP office in Mohali.

2.54 pm: Celebrations take place in BJP’s office in Goa. The party has won six seats and was leading in 14.

2.47 pm: AAP supporters celebrate in Jalandhar and Patna.

2.42 pm: Mann adds that he will take oath as the chief minister in freedom fighter Bhagat Singh’s ancestral village in Khatkarkalan and not in the Raj Bhavan, reports PTI.

2.35 pm: Aam Aadmi Party chief ministerial candidate Bhagwant Mann says his government will focus on developing schools, boosting health and industry sectors, making agriculture profitable, providing safety to women and improving the sports infrastructure, reports PTI.

He says that the picture of the chief minister will not be hung in government offices but would have photos of Bhagat Singh and BR Ambedkar.

2.13 pm: Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi loses from both Chamkaur Sahib and Bhadaur seats.

Read here:

Punjab election results: CM Charanjit Singh Channi loses both seats to AAP candidates

2.10 pm: Celebrations are being held in Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh’s house in Imphal.

2.06 pm: Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal congratulates Aam Aadmi Party for the win in Punjab polls. AAP was heading towards a victory in the state.

“We whole-heartedly and with total humility accept the mandate given by Punjabis,” he tweets. “I am grateful to lakhs of Punjabis who placed their trust in us and to SAD-BSP workers for their selfless toil. We will continue to serve them with humility in the role they have assigned to us.”

1.57 pm: Election Commission withdraws blanket ban on victory processions. In a statement, the poll panel adds that the relaxation will be subject to existing instructions of state disaster management authorities and preventive measures imposed by district authorities due to the coronavirus pandemic.

1.54 pm: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant wins the Sanquelim Assembly constituency, reports PTI. He expresses condifence that the BJP will form government in the coastal state.

1.48 pm: Former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh accepts defeat in the Amritsar seat, calling it in the “verdict of the people”.

“Democracy has triumphed,” he tweets. “Punjabis have shown true spirit of Punjabiyat by rising and voting above sectarian and caste lines.”

1.43 pm: Congress workers stage protest outside, blaming the electronic voting machines for the party’s poor performance in the Assembly elections, reports PTI.

“Democracy is being murdered through electronic voting machines,” reads placard carried by Delhi Congress leader Jagdish Sharma and other party workers.

1.40 pm: Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh wins the Heingang seat against Congress’ P Sharatchandra by over 18,271 votes.

1.32 pm: BJP candidate for the Porvorim seat in Goa Rohan Khaunte wins by 7,950 votes.

1.30 pm: In Manipur’s Wabgai constituency, BJP’s Usham Deben Singh beats Congress candidate Fajur Rahim by a narrow margin of 50 votes.

1.29 pm: Janata Dal (United)’s candidate Ngursanglur Sanate wins the Tipaimukh seat. He beat BJP’s Chalton Lien Amo by 1,249 votes.

1.26 pm: Congress candidate Michael Vincent Lobo defeats BJP’s Joseph Robert Sequeira by a margin of 4,979 votes for the Calangute seat.

1.23 pm: Dr Chandrakant Shetye, the independent candidate from Bicholim constituency in Goa, extends support to the BJP, reports ANI. He is leading by 318 votes against Maharashtrawadi Gomantak candidate Naresh Sawal.

1.19 pm: Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu congratulates the Aam Aadmi Party, which seemed to be moving towards a clean sweep in Punjab.

“The voice of the people is the voice of God... Humbly accept the mandate of the people of Punjab,” he tweets.

1.16 pm: BJP will form the government in Manipur with full majority, claims Chief Minister N Biren Singh, reports The Times of India.

1.10 pm: Congress wins a seat in Goa and is leading in 10 others. The BJP, however, is ahead in 19.

1.06 pm: BJP wins one seat and was leading in 20 others in the 60-seat Assembly. The Janata Dal (United) also wins one seat and was leading in two others.

12.53 pm: As Aam Aadmi Party heads for a victory in Punjab, party’s national convenor Arvind Kejriwal congratulates people of the state “for this revolution”, reports PTI.

12.28 pm: Former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh loses by a margin of 13,037 to AAP candidate Ajit Pal Singh Kohli in Patiala constituency. He floated his own party Lok Congress after his exit from Congress last year. The constituency has been his bastion for 20 years.

12.21 pm: Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh in the Heingang seat by a huge margin of 17,782 votes.

12.10 pm: Former Punjab Chief Parkash Singh Badal and his son and Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal are both trailing in their seats.

Parkash Singh Badal is behind Aam Aadmi Party’s Gurmeet Singh Khudian by 7,009 votes in the Lambi seat, while Sukhbir Singh Badal is trailing behind AAP’s Jagdeep Kamboj by 8,337 seats in Jalalabad constituency.

12.04 pm: Utpal Parrikar, who is trailing by 674 seats in Goa’s Panaji seat, says it was a good fight with him contesting as an Independent candidate, reports ANI.

“I thank the people,” he adds. “Satisfied with the fight but result is little disappointing.”

12.02 pm: AAP supporters celebrate as party heads towards a clean sweep in Punjab.

11.52 am: Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat is trailing behind BJP candidate Mohan Singh Bisht by a margin of 10,994 votes in the Lalkuwa seat.

11.47 am: BJP leader Vishwajit Rane is confident that the party will win in Goa, reports ANI.

“People have rejected scamsters, outsiders,” he says. “They have voted for a party that works for the people of Goa.”

Rane adds that it was the BJP leadership will decide if Sawant would continue as the chief minister.

11.40: Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi continues to trail in Chamkaur Sahib and Bhadaur seats.

11.36 am: Aam Aadmi Party leader and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia says Punjab has given chance to Arvind Kejriwal’s model of governance after the trends showed that the party was leading in the state, reports ANI.

“Today, his [Arvind Kejirwa] model of governance has been established at the national level,” he says. “This is the victory of the ‘Aam Aadmi’ [common man].”

Sisodia says that the party had fielded candidates in Uttar Pradesh, Goa and Uttarakhand too but the focus was on Punjab.

“Gradually people in these states will also start to believe in our party,” he adds.

11.32 am: Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu was trailing behind Aam Aadmi Party’s Jeevan Jyot Kaur in the Amritsar East seat by 2,065 votes.

11.28 am: Aam Aadmi Party’s chief ministerial candidate Amit Palekar (3,073 votes) was trailing behind BJP candidate Rodolfo Louis Fernandes (5,692 votes) and Congress’ Antonio Caetano Fernandes (4,043 votes).

11.22 am: Utpal Parrikar, the son of former Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, was trailing behind BJP’s Atanasio Monserrate by 713 votes in Panaji. Utpal Parrikar is contesting as an Independent candidate after BJP refused to give him the ticket to contest from the Panaji seat.

11.20 am: The BJP is inching close to crossing the halfway mark in Goa, leading in 19 in the 40-seat Assembly.

11.18 am: Former Manipur Congress chief Konthoujam Govindas Singh, who joined the BJP last year, is trailing behind Janata Dal (United) candidate Oinam Nabakishore Singh in Bishenpur.

11.10 am: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami is trailing behind Congress candidate Bhuwan Chandra Kapri in the Khatima seat by 954 votes.

11.03 am: Former Punjab Chief Minister and Punjab Lok Congress chief Amarinder Singh continues to trail behind Aam Aadmi Party candidate Ajit Pal Singh Kohli by a margin of 9,592 votes.

10.58 am: Former Manipur Congress vice-president Chaltonlien Amo, who defected to the BJP, was trailing in the Tipaimukh seat with 38.94% vote share. Janata Dal (United) was leading in the constituency with 50.95% vote share.

10.54 am: Manipur minister Oinam Lukhoi Singh was leading trailing behind National People’s Party’s Khuraijam Loken Singh by 1,979 votes in the Wangoi constituency.

10.51 am: Dharmesh Saglani of the Congress was marginally ahead of BJP leader and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in the Sanquelim seat in Goa by 317 votes.

10.45 am: BJP crosses halfway mark in Uttarakhand, leading in 43 of the 70 seats, Election Commission data shows.

10.29 am: In Punjab’s Maur Assembly seat, gangster-turned-farmer’s activist Lakha Sidhana trails behind Aam Aadmi Party candidate Sukhveer Singh Maiserkhana.

10.26 am: Manipur Congress chief Nameirakpam Loken Singh is also trailing behind BJP’s Thounaojam Basanta Kumar Singh in Namrol seat, shows Election Commission data.

10.21 am: Farmers’ union leader and chief ministerial candidate of Sanyukt Samaj Morcha party Balbir Singh Rajewala was trailing behind several candidates in the Samrala seat in Punjab, getting only 953 votes, shows Election Commission data. Aam Aadmi Party’s Jagtar Singh Diyalpura was leading in the seat.

10.17 am: Goa Forward Party Vijai Sardesai was trailing behind BJP’s Damu G Naik and Trinamool Congress’ Seoula Vas in the Fatorda seat, shows Election Commission data.

10.10 am: Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi is also trailing behind an AAP candidate in Bhadaur by a margin of 2,195 votes.

9.56 am: The Congress overtakes the BJP in Goa. The party is leading in 15 seats, says the Election Commission.

9.53 am: The AAP is leading in 79 seats as of now in the 117-seat Punjab Assembly.

9.49 am: Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi is trailing behind AAP candidate in Chamkaur Sahib constituency.

9.40 am: Amarinder Singh, former Punjab chief minister, is trailing in his constituency of Patiala Urban and Aam Aadmi Party candidate Ajit Pal Singh Kohli is leading currently.

9.35 am: The Aam Aadmi Party has crossed the majority number of 59 in Punjab, says Election Commission. The party is leading in 64 seats.

9.30 am: The Aam Aadmi Party has taken a strong lead in Punjab. The party is ahead in 54 seats.

9.25 am: The BJP is leading in three seats in Manipur, the Election Commission says. An Independent is ahead in one seat.

“I have prayed to God, that the coming five years would be tantamount to the last five years with peace and development and that BJP forms government with full majority,” Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh tells ANI.

9.18 am: The BJP is ahead of the Congress in Goa as per the Election Commission. Five years ago, the BJP managed to form the government in the coastal state despite getting fewer seats than the Congress.

9.15 am: In Heirok Assembly constituency of Manipur, Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Thokchom Radheshyam Singh is leading, the Election Commission data shows.

9.05 am: The Aam Aadmi Party is ahead in 12 of 25 leads in Punjab, while the Bharatiya Janta Party is ahead in 36 of 58 leads, reports NDTV.

8.52 am: Early trends show that the Congress is ahead in three out of the four leads in Manipur, according to NDTV.

8.30 am: The Goa unit of the Congress has approached the Supreme Court over the defection of 10 MLAs to the ruling BJP in 2017, reports NDTV. The development comes as counting of votes is underway in the state.

8.22 am: The Congress is ahead in Punjab too, NDTV reports on early leads based on postal votes.

8.18 am: In early leads from Uttarakhand, the Congress is gaining, reports NDTV.

8.15 am: The Congress in Goa has sought a meeting with the governor in the afternoon, reports NDTV.

8 am: Counting of votes begins in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur, reports ANI.

7.55 am: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant offers prayers ahead of the Assembly election results.

7.48 am: Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat says he is confident that the Congress will win in Uttarakhand, reports ANI.

“Everything will be clear in the next 2-3 hours,” he says. “I have faith in the people of the state. I believe Congress will get close to 48 seats.”

7.32 am: Visuals from Imphal, Manipur.

Preview: In Manipur, BJP banks on development plank to retain power

Preview: In Uttarakhand, BJP and Congress are locked in a high-stakes battle

7.25 am: Senior Congress leader Harish Rawat offers prayers ahead of the Uttarakhand Assembly polls results.

Preview: Will a turmoil-ridden Congress battle the threat from Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab?

7.20 am: Visuals from Aam Aadmi Party leader Bhagwat Mann shows sweets being prepared and his house in Sangrur being decorated.

Exit polls have predicted that the the Aam Aadmi Party will win the elections.

7.17 am: Goa is set for the vote counting.

7.15 am: The counting of votes for the Assembly elections will begin at 8 am.