Cong doing well in three states

As per reports, BJP is considered defeated in Maharashtra.
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(Updated 0935 hrs)

Congress, along with ally NCP, was leading in 104 assembly seats in Maharashtra besides making good progress in Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh, according to trends available an hour after counting began this morning.

In the 288-member Maharasthra Assembly, Congress-NCP combine is leading in 104 seats as against Shiv Sena-BJP coalition which is ahead in 66 seats. The Raj Thackeray-led MNS is leading in 11 constituencies.

Ruling Congress is ahead of its rivals in 26 seats in Haryana, while Om Prakash Chautala-led INLD is leading in 14 seats and BJP five.

In Arunachal Pradesh, where the ruling Congress won three seats without contest, the party is ahead in ten seats.

In Maharashtra, those leading include Industry Minister Narayan Rane (Kudal), Union Minister Sushilkumar Shinde's daughter Praniti (Solapur) and Omraje Nimbalkar (Osmanabad), son of slain Congress leader Pawanraje Nimbalkar.

Stakes are high in the state, where there are several chief ministerial aspirants. Rivals Shiv Sena and its offshoot MNS are fighting for the same political space and the ruling Congress-NCP combine is aiming a hat-trick. There are also 1,820 independents, mostly party rebels, in the fray.

The Congress has been ruling the state for the last 10 years in alliance with the NCP.