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)
FILE PHOTO: A general view shows British Steel's Scunthorpe plant, in Scunthorpe, northern England, Britain, March 31, 2025. REUTERS/Dominic Lipinski
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. (Representational image: iStock)
FBU chief raises concern over rise in racist online posts by union members
THE FIRE Brigades Union (FBU) and other trade unions are increasingly concerned about a rise in racist and bigoted online comments by their own members and officials, according to Steve Wright, the FBU’s new general secretary, speaking to the Guardian.
Wright said internal inquiries have revealed dozens of cases involving members using racist slurs or stereotypes, often aimed at asylum seekers.
He said similar issues were reported in other unions, prompting a joint campaign to counter false narratives around immigration and race promoted by far-right groups online.
“People with far-right views are becoming more brazen in what they do on social media, and I’ve witnessed it with my own union around disciplinary cases and the rhetoric of some of our own members,” Wright said to the newspaper.
He added, “Some of our members and sometimes our reps have openly made comments which are racist and bigoted. In my time in the fire service, that has gone up.”
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. A formal statement addressing far-right narratives will be launched at the union’s annual conference in Blackpool next month.
Wright cited the influence of social media and figures like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage as factors contributing to these incidents. “It feels like an itch that we’ve got to scratch,” he said.
The FBU barred a former official last year for allegedly endorsing racist content on X, including posts from Britain First and Tommy Robinson.
Wright also warned that the union could strike if the government moves to cut frontline fire services.