During the India elections, the opposition's INDIA alliance made a significant comeback in several crucial Hindi heartland states. Vote counting trends showed the alliance ahead in 42 out of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, with progress also noted in Rajasthan, Bihar, Haryana, and Jharkhand states.
However, prime minister Narendra Modi's BJP-led alliance is poised to retain power for a third consecutive term, albeit not with the overwhelming majority predicted by various exit polls.
In Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party was leading in 35 seats and Congress in seven, according to trends. The BJP was ahead in 34 seats, with its ally Rashtriya Lok Dal leading in two constituencies, and Apna Dal (Soneylal) and Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) leading in one seat each. This performance is surprising for the BJP, which had won 71 seats in 2014 and 62 in 2019. In 2019, the Samajwadi Party secured five seats, Congress one, and Bahujan Samaj Party ten.
In Rajasthan, the BJP was ahead in 14 seats and Congress in eight, while CPI(M), Rashtriya Loktantrik Party, and Bharat Adivasi Party led in one seat each. The BJP had won all 25 seats in Rajasthan in the 2019 elections.
The INDIA alliance made gains in Bihar, with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leading in four seats, Congress in two, and CPI(ML) in two. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was leading in 31 seats, with BJP ahead in 12, JD(U) in 14, and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) in five seats. In the 2019 elections, the NDA won 39 out of 40 seats in Bihar, with BJP securing 17 seats, JD(U) 16, and Lok Janshakti Party six.
In Haryana, Congress and BJP were each leading in five seats according to the latest vote count. The BJP had won all 10 seats in Haryana in the 2019 elections. In Jharkhand, the INDIA alliance's Congress and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) were leading in three and two seats respectively, while BJP was ahead in eight seats. BJP's ally AJSU Party was leading in one seat. In 2019, BJP won 11 seats in Jharkhand, with its ally AJSU securing one, while JMM and Congress each won one seat.
The NDA continued to dominate in Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, and Chhattisgarh. The BJP was ahead in all 29 seats in Madhya Pradesh, all four seats in Himachal Pradesh, all seven in Delhi, and all five in Uttarakhand. In Chhattisgarh, BJP was leading in 10 seats while Congress was ahead in one. In the 2019 elections, BJP won 28 seats in Madhya Pradesh while Congress won one. BJP had secured all four seats in Himachal Pradesh, all five in Uttarakhand, all seven in Delhi, and nine out of 11 seats in Chhattisgarh, with Congress winning two seats in Chhattisgarh.
The Hindi heartland states account for a total of 225 Lok Sabha seats.
(PTI)
Dharavi slum in Mumbai
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Man pleads not guilty to murder of BBC presenter's family
A 26-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering the wife and two daughters of BBC sports commentator John Hunt in a crossbow and knife attack.
Kyle Clifford, who also faces charges of rape, appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.
Clifford, arrested in July after a manhunt, is charged with three counts of murder, one count each of rape and false imprisonment, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons – a 10-inch knife and a crossbow.
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session.
He is expected to enter a plea for that charge at a later date.
The victims were Carol Hunt, 61, wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28.
An earlier hearing revealed that Louise had been found tied up and that both she and her sister had been shot with a crossbow, while their mother had been stabbed with a knife.
The fatal attack occurred at the family’s home in Bushey, a commuter town near Watford, northwest of London.
(With inputs from AFP)