Cong leading in assembly polls

The Congress appeared headed for forming governments in Maharashtra and Haryana, retaining power with slightly reduced numbers, while it was poised for a clean sweep in Arunachal Pradesh.

As trends in the counting of votes in the assembly elections in three states came in, the Congress-NCP combine was leading in 138 seats, 8 short of the magic half way mark in the 288-member Maharashtra assembly. Congress led in 78 seats and NCP in 57.  The alliance had won 140 seats in the last elections.

The BJP-Shiv Sena combine, which suffered from division of votes due to the presence of Raj Thackeray-led MNS, was trailing with leads only in 100 seats. Shiv Sena was ahead in 53 and BJP in 47 seats.

MNS put up an impressive show leading in 15 seats while the Third Front was ahead in ten seats.

In Haryana, where the Congress advanced elections by seven months, was leading in 44 seats, two seats short of majority in the 90-member House. Congress had won 67 seats in  2005.

In the elections forced by dissolution of the assembly after Congress' virtual sweep of the Lok Sabha polls, oppposition INLD put up a vastly improved performance leading in 25 seats compared to the nine seats they had won in the last assembly polls.

Arunachal Pradesh was set to record a Congress sweep with the ruling party ahead in 24 seats in the 60-member House. It had already won three seats, including that of Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu, unopposed.