Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: It’s a clean sweep. The Congress along with its partners is all set to retain power in the three states that went to polls. While the Cong-NCP combine is on verge of getting majority in Maharashtra, the Congress on its own is all set to regain power in Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh.
Maharashtra
As per the latest trends, the Congress along with its ally, the NCP, is now past the halfway mark with them being ahead/ won in 146 seats in an Assembly of 288. The Shiv Sena-BJP combine is only leading in 88 seats, while Raj Thackeray’s MNS is inching towards victory in 12 seats and others (a majority being rebel candidates) are doing well in 42 seats.
The alliance, which had won 140 seats in the last
elections, may not now need the support of
rebels of both the parties and independents to form the government.
Of the declared results, Chief Minister Ashok Chavan and party’s points’ man in Konkan Narayan Rane have emerged victorious from Bhokar and Kudal respectively. Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde’s daughter Praniti has won from Sholapur Central constituency.
Other prominent leaders of the Congress who are leading are former home minister Kripashankar Singh from Kalina, and Amit Deshmukh (son of Union Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh) from Latur City.
In Amravati, Congress rebel Sunil Deshmukh leading by slender
margin of 123 votes over party’s official nominee and President
Pratibha Patil's son Raosaheb Shekhawat at the end of seventh
round of counting
NCP’s Chhagan Bhujbal and Jayant Patil are also leading from Yeola and Islampur respectively, while Shivendraraje Bhosale has been declared victorious from Satara.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s nephew Ajit is assured of a victory from the family bastion Baramati.
However, senior party leader and state minister Vijay Singh Mohite Patil has lost to Independent candidate Bharat Bhalke by over 33,000 votes in Pandharpur constituency.
Another senior leader Padmasin Patil and Bhubal’s son Pankaj are trailing from Osmanabad and Nandgaon respectively.
From the BJP, Gopinath Munde’s daughter Pankaja is leading from Parle, while late Pramod Mahajan’s daughter Poonam is trailing from Ghatkopar constituency.
Leader of Opposition and prominent Shiv Sena leader Ramdas Kadam is also trailing.
MNS’ Ramesh Vanjale has won from Khadakwasla constituency in Pune, while Shirish Parkar is trailing from Vile Parle. Don-turned politician Arun Gawli is finding the going tough from his bastion of Byculla in suburban Mumbai.
Cricketer Vinod Kambli is also trailing from Vikhroli.
Counting began at 267 centres across Maharashtra to elect a new 288-member Assembly, officials said.
A total of 3,559 candidates, including 211 women, contested the Oct 13 elections. The first results are expected before noon, an official of the state election department said.
Haryana
After some tense moments early on, the Congress is now very near to securing a simple majority in the 90 seat Assembly. The Congress is ahead/won in as many as 42 seats, while the INLD is ahead in 30 seats and the BJP flag flying high only in four seats. Others including the Haryana Jan Vikas Party (HJVP) are ahead in 14 seats.
Congress’ Vinod Sharma and Savitri Jindal have been declared victorious from Ambala City and Hissar respectively. Incumbent Chief Minsiter Bhupinder Singh Hooda is also leading from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi.
Haryana's Power Minister Randeep Singh
Surjewala has also been declared victorious from Kaithal Assembly seat.
The Congress was also leading in Ambala Cantt, Ferozepur Jhirka, Israna Reserve, Panipat City, Sadhaura and Tohana.
Bhajan Lal’s son Kuldeep of HJVP is ahead from Adampur.
What is turning out to be the real surprise is that OP Chautala is trailing behind Finance Minister Birendra Singh in Uchana Kalan.
But his party the INLD was ahead in Thanesar,
Yamunanagar, Rania, Punhana, Pataudi Reserve, Panipat Rural,
Mullana Reserve, Ladwa and Bawal.
BSP, which contested 86 of the 90 seats, was leading in
two assembly seats while NCP leading in one. SAD, which had a
pre-poll alliance with INLD, was ahead in another seat.
Three Independents Sukhbir Singh, Sultan Singh and
Prahlad Singh won the Gurgaon, Pundri and Fatehabad assembly
seats defeating nearest Congress rivals. Independents were
leading in nine other constituencies.
There were 1,222 candidates, including 68 women, in the fray. Congress is seeking a second term in office on the plank of development.
Arunachal Pradesh
It is a clean sweep for the Congress in this Northeastern state. Out of the 57 sets for which elections were held it is leading in the 29 seats out of the 37 seats for which trends are available. The BJP is leading in one seat while others are leading in the seven seats.
Three candidates have been declared elected unopposed. Among them is Congress Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu.
Of the 750,000 voters, 72 percent voted Oct 13. A total of 154 candidates were in the fray. The Congress fielded contestants in all 60 seats.
Apart from the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) fielded 36 candidates and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) 22. The surprise element was the Trinamool Congress, which put up 26 candidates.
First Published: Thursday, October 22, 2009, 13:58