UPA way ahead of NDA in early trends

New Delhi, May 16 (PTI) The Congress-led United
Progressive Alliance (UPA) was way ahead in 198 constituencies
while the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was
leading in 125 seats in early trends for 420 seats in the Lok
Sabha (Lower House of Parliament) elections as counting of
votes was taken up Saturday.

The Congress alone was leading in 155 constituencies
while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was ahead in 100. The
Third Front including the Left parties was ahead in 62 while
the Fourth Front consisting of Samajwadi Party (SP), Rashtriya
Janata Dal (RJD) and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) was placed at
27.

The Congress and its allies were doing well in major
states like Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, West
Bengal, Delhi, Rajasthana, Maharashtra and Punjab.

The BJP and its allies put up a good showing in Madhya
Pradesh, Karnataka.

In the crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, Congress and the SP
were ahead in 15 seats each while the BSP was leading in 12.
BJP was ahead in 12.

The prominent Congress candidates who were leading were
Sonia Gandhi (Rae Bareli), Rahul Gandhi (Amethi), Pranab
Mukherjee (Jangipur), Sachin Pilot (Ajmer), Priya Dutt (Mumbai
North) and Shashi Tharoor (Thiruvananthapuram).

Among the BJP candidates ahead were L K Advani
(Gandhinagar), Rajnath Singh (Ghaziabad) and Afzal Ansari
(Ghazipur).

In eastern state of Bihar, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)
supremo Lalu Prasad was leading in Pataliputra but trailing in
Saran.

Sajjad Lone, the first separatist voice to enter the poll
fray, was trailing in Baramulla.

In southern state of Tamil Nadu, the (Dravida Munnetra
Kazhgham) DMK-Congress alliance was ahead in 20 of the 39
seats and the All India Anna Dravida Munetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)
alliance leading in 15 seats.

Surprisingly the BJP is putting up a good show in one
seat.

The western state of Maharashtra saw a close contest
between the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and
BJP-Shiv Sena alliances which were ahead in 22 and 20 seats
respectively. The fledgling Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS)
appears to be doing well in two constituencies.

In Delhi, the Congress was virtually sweeping the polls
bettering its 2004 showing leading in all the seven seats.

The Congress was doing well in Punjab with its candidates
ahead in nine out of 13. The (Shiromani Akali Dal) SAD-BJP
alliance was leading in four.

The Left appeared headed for a rout in India's southern
state of Kerala with the UPA leading in 17 of the 20 seats.
Shashi Tharoor (Thiruvananthapuram) was among the prominent
Congress candidates ahead.

The Left bastion was crumbling even in eastern state of
West Bengal where the Trinamool Congress-Congress alliance was
doing well in 17 of the 42 seats while Communist Party of
India-Marxist (CPI-M) was ahead in 13 and Communist Party of
India (CPI) and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) in one
each. Congress alone was leading in five seats.

The BJP put up a good showing in Karnataka, Gujarat and
Madhya Pradesh. The party was leading in 18 of the 28 seats
in Karnataka, 19 out of the 29 seats in Madhya Pradesh and 15
out of 26 in Gujarat.

In Bihar, the JD(U)-BJP alliance was leading in 19 seats
while in Andhra Pradesh the ruling Congress was doing well in
21 out of the 42 constituencies. Film star-turned politician
Chiranjeevi's fledgling Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) appears to be
doing better than Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Telangana
Rashtra Samithi (TRS). PRP was leading in seven, TDP in six
and TRS in one. PTI