The fortunes of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress continued to pendulum in Chhattisgarh as counting of votes went apace Sunday.
In the latest trends tally, the BJP was leading on 46 seats while the Congress was ahead on 41 in the 90-member assembly. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) led in two constituencies while one saw an independent in the lead (at 2.30 p.m.). Earlier, at one time, the Congress was leading on 49 seats.
In initial results declared officially, the BJP and Congress had won one seat each.
Opposition Congress leaders, who were in an upbeat mood at noon with party candidates leading on 49 seats, were keeping their fingers crossed barely three hours later.
Leaders of the BJP, in power here since 2003, said the party was confident of forming the government for a third time.
The Congress and the BJP were locked in a neck-and-neck race in trends emerging after the first few rounds of counting. The fluctuating trends kept up anxiety-levels of leaders of both parties, with a tough fight between both sides.
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Congress candidate Lakeshwar Baghel was leading on the Bastar assembly seat by over 19,000 votes against his BJP rival.
Umesh Patel, the Congress candidate from Kharsia assembly constituency and son of slain Chhattisgarh Congress president Nand Kumar Patel, was ahead of his nearest opponent by over 34,000 votes.
The Congress was leading in eight out of the 12 constituencies in the Maoist-affected Bastar region till afternoon. In the 2008 assembly elections, BJP had won 11 out of 12 seats in the area.
Chief Minister Raman Singh was leading over his Congress rival Alka Uday Mudliyar in Rajnandgaon by nearly 35,000 votes.
In Durg city constituency, Congress candidate Arun Vora, the son of senior Congress leader Moti Lal Vora, was ahead of his BJP rival by barely 900 votes.
Former chief minister and Congress leader Ajit Jogi's wife Renu Jogi and son Amit Jogi were also leading in the Kota and Marwahi constituencies, respectively.
The BJP had 50 seats against 38 of the Congress in the outgoing assembly.