Samajwadi Party today was on the road to emerging as the single largest party in Uttar Pradesh where the ruling BSP has been routed while the Congress got a shock in Punjab with the ruling SAD-BJP combine well on the way to retaining power.
Uttarakhand is locked in a see-saw battle between the ruling BJP and Congress. BJP appears to have an edge leading in 29 seats against Congress 25.
But in Manipur, Congress is set to sweep back to power for the third consecutive term while the BJP is on the road to unseating Congress from power in Goa.
SP, headed by Mulayam Singh Yadav, was surging ahead in in 177 seats in the 403-member Assembly while the ruling BSP was leading in 88 seats.
The BJP was leading in 47 while Congress-RLD combine were ahead in 49 constituencies.
In Punjab, Akali Dal-BJP combine appeared set to retain power in Punjab, a first in the history of the state, by leading in 71 of the 117-member House. Congress, which was expected to wrest power, was leading only in 38 seats.
The latest trends from Uttarakhand showed that Congress was leading in 31 seats in the 70-member Assembly and BJP followed closely with 25.
BJP was ahead in Goa with three wins and six leads against Congress' one win and two leads in the 40-member House.
In Manipur, Congress has won in five seats and leading in 14 seats in the 60-member Assembly.
The SP, which had 97 seats in the outgoing Assembly, may have to look to Congress-RLD combine if it stops of short of majority by around 30-40 seats.
BJP chief spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad said the party would be content to sit in the opposition if that was the verdict of the people.
However, the shock for Congress came from Punjab where the ruling SAD-BJP alliance appeared to be bettering its 2007 performance when it got 69 seats in the 117-member Assembly.
The Congress, which had 42 seats in the outgoing Assembly, has won three and was leading in 43 seats.
In Uttarakhand, later reports placed BJP leading in 32 seats while Congress, which was hoping to make a comeback in power, was leading in 28 seats.
Goa is set for a change of power as BJP-MGP combine was ahead. BJP itself has won five seats and was leading in five others and its ally MGP was ahead in one seat.
The ruling Congress, which had won 16 seats in the last elections, has won one seat and was leading in two others. Its ally NCP was ahead in one constituency.
