 "US Election 2016: Trump takes lead with 136 electoral votes to Clinton's 104")
Republican candidate Donald Trump took a lead in one of the most bitterly contested US presidential elections but the fight with Hillary Clinton remained close in key battleground states.
The vote margins separating Democratic nominee Clinton and Trump remained tight in a string of states that will determine the eventual outcome of the contest that has badly divided Americans.
According to CNN projections, Trump had 136 electoral votes compared to 104 for Clinton. A candidate needs 270 electoral votes to win the presidency.
Trump, 70, was ahead in the key battleground state of Florida while Clinton was projected to win in delegate-rich New York, the home state of both the candidates.
It was too early or close to call a range of vital swing states, including Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Hampshire, Virginia and North Carolina.
CNN projected that Trump had won 16 states while Clinton emerged victorious in 10.
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According to the channel, Trump won North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Wyoming, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, West Virginia, Alabama and South Carolina.
Clinton emerged victorious in Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, District of Columbia, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Delaware and Rhode Island.
Trump was also ahead in Virginia when reports last came in, but results were still too close to call.
Virginia, which 13 electoral college votes, has a significant Indian-American population and is home to Democratic vice-presidential nominee, Senator Tim Kaine.
In terms of overall vote percentage, Trump has so far received 49.2 per cent of the votes counted so far as against 46.8 per cent gained by Clinton.
The incoming returns follow a frenzied day of voting across America marked by long lines and last-minute appeals for support from both campaigns.
While the race has tightened in recent days, the Democratic nominee still seemed to enter Election Day with the edge on the electoral map in her quest to become the first woman elected US president. But Trump, a rank political outsider, voiced confidence yesterday about his chances in key battlegrounds.
"We're going to win a lot of states," the Republican nominee told Fox News as he aims for an upset victory to cap his improbable campaign which came from behind to vanquish 16 competitors in the rowdy Republican primaries.
Sporadic complaints of equipment failures and long lines also greeted voters across the country Tuesday as they headed to their polling centres to cast their vote.
However, much of the country experienced a relatively smooth Election Day.