BJP consolidates lead in UP, setback for SP-BSP

The BJP has established comfortable lead on 58 seats in Uttar Pradesh while the SP-BSP-RLD alliance is leading only on 21 seats. The Congress continues to lead only on the Rae Bareli seat where UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi is a candidate.

In Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is leading by over 2.5 lakh votes. His nearest rival is SP's Shalini Yadav as Congress' Ajay Rai is a very distant third.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh was way ahead of SP candidate Poonam Sinha in Lucknow.

In Amethi, Smriti Irani continued to lead over Congress President Rahul Gandhi.

Bhojpuri actor and BJP candidate Ravi Kishan was leading by over one lakh votes in Gorakhpur after five rounds.

In Azamgarh, Samajwadi president Akhilesh Yadav was leading over his nearest rival Dinesh Lal Yadav Nirahua of BJP.

In Ghazipur, Union Minister Manoj Sinha was trailing behind BSP candidate Afzal Ansari while Union Minister Maneka Gandhi was behind BSP candidate Sonu Singh in Sultanpur.

Azam Khan, SP candidate in Rampur, has established a comfortable lead over Jaya Prada of BJP.

Other BJP candidate with a comfortable lead include Rita Bahuguna Joshi in Allahabad, Santosh Gangwar in Bareilly, Gen V.K. Singh in Ghaziabad, Rajendra Agarwal in Meerut and Kunwar Sarvesh Singh in Moradabad.

--IANS

amita/in