 "BJP set for big win in Uttar Pradesh, party alliance leading in 267 seats")
The ruling BJP appeared on course to retain power in Uttar Pradesh, with poll trends on Thursday showing the party-led alliance leading in 267 seats as against 127 of its nearest rival Samajwadi Party.
The state has 403 assembly seats and 202 seats are needed to form a majority government.
The trends or results for all 403 seats are available. The BJP has won five seats so far.
Prominent candidates who have secured a lead include Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from Gorakhpur Urban, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav from Karhal, Shivpal Yadav from Jaswant Nagar and Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhana Shukla from Rampur Khas (Pratapgarh).
Adityanath is heading for a landslide victory in Gorakhpur Urban seat, leading over his nearest rival, SP's Subhawati Shukla, by about 51,974 votes.
The BSP nominee has secured 4,507 votes, while Chandra Shekhar of Azad Samaj Party has bagged 4,157 votes. Chetna Pandey of the Congress is struggling with 1,410 votes and AAP nominee Vijay Kumar Shrivastava with 417 votes.
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However, Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya is trailing from Sirathu seat by only 82 votes now, while Swami Prasad Maurya of the SP is also trailing from Fazil Nagar seat. Congress state president Ajay Kumar Lallu is trailing from Tumkuhi Raj.
According to official trends available for 403 seats, the BJP is leading in 248 seats, while its allies Apna Dal (S) and Nishad party are leading in 12 and seven seats, respectively.
While the Samajwadi Party (SP) is leading in 113 seats, its allies SBSP and RLD are leading in five and nine seats, respectively.
The BSP and the Congress were leading in three and two seats, respectively.
Two candidates of the Jansatta Dal, including Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya in Kunda seat, were leading.
The BJP's vote percentage is 42.3, while the SP got 31.6 per cent votes. The Congress has got a meagre 2.40 per cent, while the BSP got 12.7 per cent.
In 2017, the BJP got 312 seats and its allies Apna Dal and SBSP nine and four seats, respectively. The SP got 47, BSP 19, Congress 7 and others five seats in the last assembly elections.