UP Assembly polls: BJP ahead in 290 seats

Lucknow:  The BJP and its allies consolidated their position in Uttar Pradesh by surging ahead in 290 of the 403 seats, going by trends available from 386 constituencies in the first three hours of counting.

The saffron party and its allies Apna Dal (Soneylal Patel) and Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) in the process pushed rivals SP-Congress combine and the BSP far behind.

The fledgling SP-Congress coalition was ahead in 69 seats (SP in 58 and Congress in 11), while BSP trailed far behind with leads in only 19 places.

BJP on its own was leading in 276 seats, while Apna Dal (S) was ahead in nine and SBSP in five.

Gayatri Prajapati, who is absconding after the UP Police booked him in an alleged gangrape case and attempt to rape a minor, was trailing in Amethi, where Garima Singh (BJP), the first wife of Congress leader Sanjay Sinh, was leading.

Ameeta Singh (Cong), the present wife of Sanjay Sinh was also trailing.

In Noida, Home Minister Rajnath Singh's son Pankaj Singh was leading.