Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam treasurer M K Stalin, whose party was defeated by arch rival All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam for the second successive time in the assembly elections, today congratulated J Jayalalithaa for her party's win.

'We respect the people's verdict & will work as a responsible opposition party. I take this opportunity to congratulate Selvi (MS) J Jayalalithaa (sic),' he said in a tweet.

The AIADMK, which routed the DMK in 2011 elections, has maintained its electoral dominance against Karunanidhi-led party, winning all elections since then.

Its an all time high for us and the highest point for the Bharatiya Janata Party, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Thursday as the party stormed to power in Assam and saw a major jump in its vote share in Kerala and West Bengal.

Today, this is the highest point in the history of BJP. We have a majority in the Lok Sabha on our own. Along with our partners, we have 15 state governments, which cover over 45 per cent of Indias population, he said.

Jaitley said the geographical expansion of the BJP in Kerala, after Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh in the South, and the 11 per cent vote share in West Bengal were important milestones.

To be able to form a government in Assam with an overwhelming majority and to have governments in Arunachal and Meghalaya is a very important milestone, he said.

The finance minister also hit out at the Congress, saying the national party which hogged centrestage in the national polity until two years ago today has state governments which cover about 7 to 8 per cent of Indias population.

So the stark difference in the size of the two parties is its an all-time high for us and an all-time low for them, he said.

With today's poll results, he expressed the hope for early passage of the Goods and Services Tax Bill about which he was reasonably optimistic.

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has warned that they may move the court if the Election Commission doesn't act in response to their allegation against All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (of using its influence to win elections). 

Here's why the BJP has reason to cheer: The BJP and its allies today secured a simple majority by bagging 64 seats in the 126-member Assam Assembly. BJP alone has won 44 seats and is leading in 17 while its allies Asom Gana Parishad won eleven seats and led in three others and Bodo People's Front retained nine seats and was leading in three others. Congress, which had 68 seats in the outgoing House, managed to win only 21 seats and was leading in just four others.

The CPI today conceded that the West Bengal Assembly poll verdict was a "setback" to the Left and that its alliance with the Congress did not work while terming the LDF victory in Kerala as something "beyond expectations".


"I think this understanding between the Left and the Congress (in West Bengal) did not work. We could together get only 35-36 per cent of votes. Somehow, I think the votes might not have got transferred," CPI General Secretary Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy said today.


He termed the outcome in the state as "negative result" and said the Left would have to go in for a serious review of it. "We have to go for a serious review...why, in spite of a joint effort, it did not give confidence to the people of West Bengal to bring the alternative despite misrule, corruption and arrogance of Mamata Banerjee. We feel it's a negative result and setback to the Left and West Bengal," he said.


CPM flags hold a silent vigil in Kerala. The picture was tweeted by Raniyal Niyada.

Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy resigns following the defeat of his party, AINRC, in the assembly elections.

PM Narendra Modi addressing party workers at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi.

"I extend my heartiest wishes to all voters. The election results are quite exciting for BJP and NDA. Peaceful elections took place and I want to thank the voters of all the five states for believing in the BJP. 

'Today's results are extremely encouraging for the NDA. BJP forming a government in Assam surprised many just like the time when we joined a government in J&K. I congratulate Amit Shah and his team, state incharges and party workers," said the PM.

"BJP is fast gaining acceptance across the country, this is great for democracy," he added.

PM Modi arrives at Delhi's BJP HQs after party's victory in Assam elections.

Scripting a new chapter for the BJP in Kerala, party veteran and former union minister O Rajagopal today won from Nemom constituency in Thiruvananthapuram to help the party make its debut in the state assembly.

Nemom was one of the segments where the BJP had pinned its hope the most in the present election to open its account in the Assembly. Rajagopal, who had lost by a narrow margin in previous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, wrested Nemom from sitting MLA and vibrant CPI(M)-LDF leader V Sivankutty defeating him by 8,671 votes.

When many of his party colleagues were trailing, Rajagopal, former Union Minister in the A B Vajpayee government, maintained a clear lead since the beginning itself.

The historic victory is a sweet revenge for Rajagopal, as he had lost in the constituency in a photo finish to Sivankutty in the 2011 assembly polls. Garnering 43,661 votes, he had come second to Sivankutty last time. He had also garnered 50,076 votes in Nemom against Congress's Shashi Tharoor who got 32,639 in the last Lok Sabha elections. In the last civic polls, of the total 22 wards in Nemom, BJP and LDF got nine seats each and UDF four.

Sealing the Indo-Bangla border to check illegal infiltration will be top priority of the BJP government in Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal, who led the party to its maiden victory in the crucial North eastern state and is all set to be the Chief Minister, said today.


Elated over BJP's spectular victory in Assam dethroning 15-year rule of Congress, Sonowal said protecting the interests of bonafide Indian citizens, whether they are Hindu or Muslims, will be the focus area of the BJP government.


"First of all we will have to seal the Indo-Bangla border to stop infiltration. We have to prepare within a time frame the NRC ( National Register of Citizens) with the names of bonafide Indian citizens. These are two big challenges," 54-year-old Sonowal said.


Influx of Bangladeshis through the porous Indo-Bangla border has been a major issue in Assam and BJP and its allies had promised during the election campaign to check it. Sonowal said containing corruption will be another focus area. He said people were fed up with Congress and they wanted change and good government.


"People have accepted our winning combination. This is a great victory. People of Assam have been looking for such a combination... Our main target is to protect the interests of bonafide Indian citizens, whether they are Hindu or Muslims it doesn't matter.


"We have to protect the interests of greater Assamese society, which include Assamese, Bihari Marwaris, Bengalis, Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs... We have to work together, live together and fight together," he said soon after it became clear that BJP for the first time would get a majority in the 126-seat state Assembly.


The Union Minister played down challenges to him from within the winning alliance, saying they all have to work together. BJP had stitched an alliance of virtually all regional parties, which represent various sections of indigenous population, to take on Congress and AIUDF, accusing the two parties of supporting infiltrators, mostly Bangladeshi Muslims.

Just in: Missing #EgyptAir aircraft debris found south of Greek island of Karpathos in southern Mediterranean, reports Reuters quoting Greek state TV.  Greek authorities spot two floating objects in sea 50 miles south-east of area where plane dropped off radar.


French President Francois Hollande confirmed today that the EgyptAir flight that disappeared from radar screens over the Mediterranean had "crashed".


"We must ensure that we know everything on the causes of what happened. No hypothesis is ruled out or favoured," he said in a televised address.


"Whether it was an accident or another hypothesis that everyone has on their mind - a terrorist hypothesis... at this stage we must focus on our solidarity with the families and the search for the causes of the catastrophe," Hollande added.


The Paris prosecutor's office said its accident department had opened an investigation into the crash. The EgyptAir flight from Paris to Cairo crashed into the Mediterranean between the Greek islands and the Egyptian coast early today with 66 people on board.

The Union cabinet is likely to meet tomorrow to consider an ordinance on NEET. 

Mamata Banerjee shares her win with her family, her nephews and their wives. Seen behind Mamata, face partially hidden with a victory 'V' is Abhishek Banerjee, her nephew and a Lok Sabha MP. The little girl is his daughter. Pic: Abhiroop Dey Sarkar.

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said today's election results are "not very encouraging" for the party and the current trend is a matter of "serious concern". "The election results are not very encouraging for Congress, but in democracy we have to respect people's verdict," he said.


Assam and Kerala are two important states that Congress have lost, Singh said adding, "Even in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, our alliance could not make it. In Assam, we faced anti-incumbency and at the last moment one of our senior leaders joined BJP."


The Congress General Secretary said his party accepts the people's verdict and will serve them by sitting in opposition.


Responding to a question whether BJP's call for 'Congress-mukt Bharat' was becoming a reality, he said, "Congress has always bounced back from such situations, though the current trend is a matter of serious concern."

A supporter bares his heart with love for Jayalalithaa. With Amma written across his chest and the party's symbol and number of seats in the assembly added on for good measure, Jaya defied its 32-year-old tradition and belied several exit poll predictions by handing a handsome victory to her party. Pic: R Selvaraj.

The win in Assam is likely to have a ripple effect in north-eastern states like Manipur and Nagaland which have been reluctant to embrace the BJP in the past,' says Nitin A Gokhale, the distinguished commentator on strategic affairs, who lived and reported from Assam between 1983 and 2006. Read

Sonia Gandhi reacts to the Congress decimation in the polls:  We accept the verdict of the people of Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala with utmost humility.


Much like the Lok Sabha polls, the party rushed to throw a protective ring around Rahul Gandhi, and rejected suggestions that the party Vice President should accept blame for its debacle in four states.


"Every election has its own issues. We do not see state elections in terms of any individual -- Tarun Gogoi or Oommen Chandy. "We will analyse causes where we need to do better... We will disucss this in a cordial atmosphere," the party's Chief Spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told reporters along with General Secretary Mukul Wasnik and spokesman RPN Singh.

It was smooth sailing for Kanhaiya Kumar's college mate and CPI candidate Mohammed Mohsin who, in his maiden electoral battle, wrested the Pattambi Assembly seat in Palakkad district from the sitting Congress MLA.


The JNU Student Union president had on May 14 canvassed for Mohsin, who trounced Congress' C P Mohammed by a margin of 7,404 votes. Mohammed represented the politically hyper-active seat for over a decade. Veterans who had got elected from Pattambi seat included CPI(M) stalwart E M S Namboothirippad and CPI's E P Gopalan.


Deploring the statement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi comparing Kerala with Somalia, Kumar had said, "Kerala is one of the most literate states in the country. The place is also known for its progressive values and gender justice."

BJP workers clash with CPM celebratory rally: One person dead, after bomb hurled during Left leader Pinarayi Vijayan's victory parade in Kannur in Kerala.

DMK leader Dayanidhi Maran reacting to AIADMK's victory in the Assembly polls: "People have sold their conscience to the devil. Dirty money played the game, DMK was not able to serve the people. All the exit polls predicted that the DMK is going to win. This forced the ruling party to spend more money."


Minutes later Maran was trolled with Twitterati  pointing out that that exit poll results are announced at the end of polling, and paying cash to voters can't change the verdict sealed in the EVMs.


Fighting heavy odds, J Jayalalithaa proved her detractors wrong again with her grit and determination as she steered AIADMK to power for a second consecutive term, bucking the tradition since 1989 when no party has retained power in Tamil Nadu.


The 68-year-old AIADMK supremo, known as 'Puratchi Thalaivi' (Revolutionary Leader), has cemented her image as a fighter despite challenges that haunted her in the form of corruption cases forcing her to quit twice, only to make a comeback.

Tally so far: AIADMK 132,  DMK 89. Jayalalithaa secured 97037 votes, an approximate 40,000-vote margin over her rival Shimla Muthuchozhan.

As TMC supporters would say, even the Gods showered their blessings on West Bengal. The skies opened up this evening in Kolkata lowering temperatures to 29C. Much needed after a keenly fought election amid a blazing summer when temperatures touched the early 40s.

So that's why... Derek O'Brien @quizderek: On historic, happy days you even forget to tweet #Verdict16.


O'Brien is the spokesperson of the TMC.

CPM leader Sitaram Yechury holds a presser after the Kerala win and the Bengal loss. "We salute the people of Kerala for the faith they have reposed in the LDF and we assure that we will fulfill the promises made. These results confirm what we had said during campaign about a match-fixing between BJP and UDF. The historic victory of the LDF in Kerala has been possible because people have enthusiastically supported our positive program for development of the state. The verdict is against unprecedented corruption and misrule by the UDF in the last five years."

With the LDF heading for a victory in the Kerala Assembly polls, the focus of CPI (M) is now on who in the party will head the government. During the campaign, LDF did not project any leader as the chief ministerial candidate and had said it would be decided after the polls. Probable candidates for the top slot -- party stalwart V S Achuthanandan
and politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan -- have both got elected with a thumping majority.

The seat tally so far LDF 91, UDF 47, BJP 1

The person behind the @narendramodi handle has a sense of humour.

The PM wished the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on his birthday today saying, "Happy Birthday President @ashrafghani'got the date right this time. :)"

In a previous tweet on February 12, PM Modi had wished the Afghanistan president on the wrong date sending out warm wishes for a long life, exceptional health and a joyful journey ahead.

As a response to this faux pas, President Ghani had tweeted back thanking him for his wishes, but pointing out to the mistake in date. 

JUST IN: French President Francois Hollande confirms EgyptAir flight 'crashed'. An EgyptAir flight from Paris to Cairo with 66 people, including 26 foreigners, on board today crashed in the Mediterranean Sea after it vanished from radar screens in Egyptian airspace, aviation officials said. Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif Ismail said it was too early to say whether a technical problem or a terror attack caused the plane to crash.


"We cannot rule anything out," he told reporters at Cairo airport. The Airbus A320 was flying at 37,000 feet when it disappeared shortly after entering Egyptian airspace at 2:45 am local time. EgyptAir Flight 804 lost contact with radar after it entered Egyptian airspace, around 280 kilometres off the country's coastline north of the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria.

After back-to-back defeats in Bihar and Delhi, the BJP is in a jubilant mood after its win in Assam. Speaking to TV channels, BJP president Amit Shah said that the party is committed to progress in Assam and will make it a developed state.

Hitting out at the Congress for disrupting the parliament, Shah said, "People who paralysed Parliament have been shown their place. India has taken two steps closer to Congress-mukt Bharat. These results are a stamp of approval on Narendra Modi's performance over the two years. It is a victory for politics of development.


"It is a matter of great joy for BJP that it has performed well in all 5 states. BJP's foundations have been strengthened by these victories."


BJP's Ram Madhav says, "Admit we learnt from our mistakes from Assam Bihar. 

 

Sarbananda Sonowal of the BJP, who exit polls say is likely to be Assam's next chief minister, watched Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Bajirao Mastani and kept himself busy with his work as sports minister at the Centre, as he has waited for election results to be announced. 

Stunned by the shocking defeat in the Assembly polls, Kerala Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Oommen Chandy today said the results were "a setback" and the party and UDF headed by it would discuss in detail the reasons for the "unexpected" rout.


A visibly upset Chandy, however, dismissed suggestions that the UDF decision to field tainted leaders as candidates in the crucial poll was the reason for the Congress-led alliance's defeat.


The Congress leader said he as the UDF chairman has more responsibility in its defeat in the elections. "No doubt it is an unexpected verdict. We didn't expect such a defeat. Both party and the UDF have responsibility in the defeat. I have more responsibility because I am the chairman of the front," Chandy told reporters.


Asked whether the party's decision to give tickets to the tainted ministers had backfired, he said "I don't think so. But we will meet and discuss (the defeat) at party level and UDF level," he said.

Sourav Ganguly wishes Mamata Banerjee: @SGanguly99 "Congratulations to Mamata didi." And Didi responds with  Mamata Banerjee @MamataOfficial. @SGanguly99 "Thanks many."


Ruling Trinamool Congress, headed by Mamata Banerjee, has put up an impressive show in West Bengal by bettering its tally over the last elections. The party, which had won 184 seats in 2011 in alliance with Congress, was today victorious in 206 seats and ahead in 6 seats. The Left-Congress alliance was not able to make much impact.

Banerjee said there were relentless attempts to mislead people of the state and some of the comments even surprised her. She said the party has more responsibility with this victory.


"People could not vote in some areas as they were terrorised. There will be victors and losers in a democracy but it was taken to a historic low which is dangerous," she said.


The West Bengal Chief Minister also thanked the Election Commission for ensuring a free and fair polling. She said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley congratulated her on TMC's victory.


"There has to be a Laxman Rekha in politics which has to be adhered to. People should learn from experience," she said. Banerjee said the party will organise a host of cultural events till May 30 to celebrate the victory.


A file pic of Sourav Ganguly and Mamata Banerjee when he was appointed Cricket Association of Bengal chief in September.

Celebrations turn violent in Asansol (West Bengal): TMC supporters vandalize CPI(M) office, set property on fire.

Claiming victory as trends gave her party a clear majority in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, AIADMK supremo and Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today termed the people's verdict as historic as against the "family rule" of DMK.


"This election has upheld true democracy shattering to pieces the campaign of lies of DMK. This election has put a permanent full stop to the family rule," she said in a statement as her party forged ahead in the counting of votes polled in the May 16 Assembly elections. In the run up to polls, she had appealed to the people to vote against the family rule of DMK and support her party to nurture democracy.


Expressing her heartfelt thanks to the people, she said they have handed her party "a historic victory" by voting her back to power. They had given her the honour of retaining power by an incumbent regime for the first time after 1984, she said. AIADMK founder M G Ramachandran managed to successively win polls (1977-87) in Tamil Nadu and after that no other party managed to do it.


"There are no words in the dictionary to explain my sense of gratitude for the people of Tamil Nadu," Jayalalithaa, who took the gamble of virtually going it alone in the polls. "I will forever be indebted to the people of Tamil Nadu who have reposed full faith on me and by making AIADMK emerge victorious in a big way," she said.


Vowing to fulfill all her electoral promises, 68-year old Jayalalithaa said she would work hard to make Tamil Nadu, the numero uno state in the country.

Another advice from Ms Banerjee to former ally, Congress: "I believed in Congress ideology as I joined politics with that party, but now Congress itself has lost its ideology." 

Baichung Bhutia:"Accept people's verdict, will look into where we went wrong," says the TMC candidate from Siliguri. The former footballer lost to CPM veteran Ashok Bhattacharya. 

Former actress Debasree Roy wins in West Bengal from a TMC seat.

West Bengal Finance and Industry Minister Amit Mitra retains his Khardaha seat by defeating CPI(M)'s Asim Kumar Dasgupta by 21,200 votes.

Moments after the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC's win became apparent the West Bengal CM held a press conference thanking the people of the state and lambasting her opponents for conspiracies to de-throne her. In a short interview to NDTV, Mamata described herself as an "LIP" or Less Important Person and said she doesn't feel happy being called chief minister, a Didi would do.

She also said she had no interest in being a prime ministerial candidate in 2019. "I am a commoner, an LIP... I like to work with people. I am not greedy," she told NDTV.

The Trinamool Congress scored an even bigger victory in the state despite being attacked on corruption scandals including a flyover collapse.

Leads now: TMC: 213, left: 74


She brushed off the importance of PM Modi's congratulatory phone call thelling NDTV reporter Monideepa Banerjee that it was customary for calls to come in. "I am against BJP ideologically because they like to divide and rule. We believe in Saare Jahaan Se Achha," she said.

On former ally Congress, she said the party "has lost ground because they have forgotten their friends."

And our reporter Indrani Roy tells us that Mamata Banerjee wins by 25,000 votes.


Abhiroop Dey Sarkar captures Bengal's green revolution today.

Celebrations outside the AIADMK party HQ today. 
Leads so far: AIADMK 134, DMK 86

Tamil Nadu: AIADMK workers celebrate at party headquarters.

Arvind Kejriwal's congratulatory tweet to Didi: Congratulations Didi for stupendous victory...

DMK president M Karunanidhi wins by the highest ever margin in his political career with 67,212 votes. His victory margin in 2006 was 50,249. It is his record 13th time from the Thiruvarur  .


The major surprise in the Assembly elections in four states and Puducherry was a strong show by AIADMK, which several exit polls had projected to lose.

Bucking tradition, the Jayalalithaa-led party was well on way to retaining power for a second term in a state which had not returned a ruling party to power since 1989.


But it was also not a washout for the opposition DMK, which put up a reasonably good show by leading in 79 seats as against 135 by AIADMK.


DMK workers outside the party office. Pic: S Selvaraj

Update on the EgyptAir crash: The Independent reports that aviation and security experts have suggested that the disappearance of the EgyptAir flight from Paris to Cairo may have been caused by an explosive device.


There have been conflicting reports about whether the plane sent an emergency distress signal.Air travel expert Julian Bray said no alert being made could mean the airliner suffered a "catastrophic failure" possibly as a result of an explosion.


He told the Press Association: "It has to be a catastrophic failure because everything went dead and they wouldn't have had time to get a message out. It's gone into the deepest part of the Mediterranean."

BJP's Piyush Goyal to NDTV: One could actually make Rahul Gandhi the person of the match. He's the one who made sure the Congress performed the way it did.: 

A round off applause to Canada PM Justin Trudeau, please.

Almost 102 years after Canada turned away over 376 migrants, mostly Sikhs from India, Trudeau has formally apologised in Parliament for the "great injustice" that happened due to discriminatory laws of the time.


Trudeau apologised in the House of Commons yesterday for 1914 decision by the then Canadian government to turn away 376 Indian migrants onboard the ship 'Komagata Maru' after their arrival in Vancouver.


Standing in the Commons, Trudeau apologised to the descendants of those who were onboard and the broader Sikh community for what he called a "great injustice".

"Mr Speaker, today I rise in this House to offer an apology on behalf of the Government of Canada, for our role in the Komagata Maru incident. More than a century ago a great injustice took place," Trudeau said. "Canada's government was, without question, responsible for the laws that prevented these passengers from immigrating peacefully and securely. For that, and for every regrettable consequence that followed, we are sorry," Trudeau said.

The prime minister got no further before MPs and invited onlookers in the packed galleries rose in their seats in a standing ovation, The Star reported.


Komagata Maru sailed into Vancouver harbour on May 23, 1914 from Hong Kong, carrying 376 passengers but most of the passengers were eventually turned away on the grounds of the "continuous journey clause" that allowed only travellers on a trip without interruption to land in Canada.


As Trudeau said, the law effectively eliminated immigrants from India because there was no direct service to Canada. After two months in limbo in the harbour, the ship was escorted out of the harbour by the military. It returned to India and on its arrival, at least 19 people were killed in a skirmish with British soldiers, while others were jailed. Trudeau said Canada alone cannot be blamed for every "tragic mistake" that occurred with the ship and its passengers. But Canada's government was, without question, responsible for the laws that prevented these passengers from immigrating peacefully and securely". "No words can fully erase the pain and suffering they experienced. Regrettably, the passage of time means that none are alive to hear our apology today," he said. Former prime minister Stephen Harper did apologise for the incident at a public event in British Columbia in 2008, but the Sikh-Canadians were demanding a formal statement in the Parliament. Trudeau-led Liberal Party, which has four Sikh ministers in the cabinet, had promised a formal apology during the election campaign last year. The prime minister has said that the passengers were refused entry to Canada due to "discriminatory laws of the time".

Milind Deora tweets: @milinddeora Congrats to all winners. @INCIndia still has the strongest bench waiting in the dug out. Time to play them & be ready for the 2019 big test."


Congress is certainly a party of optimists.

1-2-3-4... that's roughly 10 people outside the Congress HQ in Guwahati. With trends suggesting that BJP and its allies are heading for a victory in Assam, party general secretary Ram Madhav said it was a significant message for the whole country which has come at an appropriate time.


"There was a curiosity about Assam elections across the country. The result is very significant and it is a clear message for the whole country and it has come at the right moment," he told reporters.


"Congress is being rejected everywhere in the country and they should draw lessons from this," he said, He said this round of election has its own significance and it has reflected that Congress "did not learn any lesson from is debacle in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls."


"People are still not ready to accept Congress. We have given a call for Congress-mukt Bharat and it seems that people have taken the call very seriously," he said.


Madhav said BJP will form the government in Assam under the leadership of Sarbananda Sonowal and the party is committed to carry forward its development agenda. "We have won the election due to the hard work of our local leadership and workers under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah," he said.


Trends so far: BJP: 54, Cong:21, halfway mark: 64.

"I convey my heartiest thanks to voters who have reaffirmed their faith in me and given me another chance," says ADMK chief, Jayalalithaa, who is set to continue as Tamil Nadu CM. "False campaigning by DMK has been defeated. People of Tamil Nadu have rejected family politics carried out by our opponents," she said. "I will make Tamil Nadu the No 1 state, fulfill all promises," she said.


Fighting heavy odds, Jayalalithaa proved her detractors wrong again with her grit and determination as she steered AIADMK to power for a second consecutive term, bucking the tradition since 1989 when no party has retained power in Tamil Nadu.


The 68-year-old AIADMK supremo, known as 'Puratchi Thalaivi' (Revolutionary Leader), has cemented her image as a fighter despite challenges that haunted her in the form of corruption cases forcing her to quit twice, only to make a comeback.

BJPs Rajya Sabha member Subramanian Swamy told Thanthi TV that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa should thank her political rival, DMKs M Karunanidhi for his two mistakes which led to her victory.

One was that Karunanidhi contested the elections and projected himself as the CM candidate. Instead he should have projected his son M K Stalin as the CM candidate, Swamy said.

Two, Karunanidhi tied up with the Congress, which is on a downslide all over the country, Swamy said. The Left tied up with Congress in Bengal and did badly, they fought the Congress in Kerala and did well, Swamy said. Had Karunanidhi not tied up with the Congress, his party would have done well.

Rajat Sharma @RajatSharmaLive  Congratulations @sarbanandsonwal on your party's historic victory in #Assam assembly polls under leadership of PM @narendramodi.

Mihir Sharma @mihirssharma  0/4 for Gandhi Congress. And the word from the ground is that Punjab might go AAP. The party is running on fumes, nothing more.

"And in TN it looks like Gandhi Congress had an abysmal conversion rate in the seats the DMK gave it. Altogether, they should be panicking.

But of course, the Gandhi Congress won't panic. If there's one core ideology, it's smug complacency. #DefaultOSIndeed."

I convey my heartiest thanks to voters who have reaffirmed their faith on me and given me another chance: TN CM Jayalalithaa

Two more takeaways from Mamata Banerjee's presser:

"Tomorrow we have called a meeting of all the newly-elected MLAs at 12:30 pm.

"There is no corruption in Bengal. It is a 'corruption-less' state.

"People who said we are corrupt should apologise."

From student politics to joining AGP, then switching to the saffron party and becoming a Union Minister, BJP's Chief Ministerial candidate in Assam Sarbanada Sonowal's journey to the peak has been a steady climb marked by twists and turns.


54-year-old Sonowal's name as the party's face came as no surprise as he came with a clean image and no baggage and enjoyed the confidence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.


He was included in the Union Cabinet though it left many senior party members from the state none too happy considering that he had joined the BJP only in 2011.


The state unit, however, put up a united front in the elections under Sonowal, who also took charge as the party chief before the polls, to script history as the first state in the North East where the BJP has come to power.


Credited with challenging the controversial Illegal Migrants' Determination by Tribunal (IMDT) Act in the Supreme Court which finally scrapped it, Sonowal's foray into politics began with his joining the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) where he served as its President from 1992 to 1999.


A major figure in the students' politics of the region, Sonowal, a law graduate, also became the Chairman of North East Students' Organisation (NESO) from 1996 to 2000. From AASU he predictably went on to join the Asom Gana Parishad in 2001, founded by his erstwhile seniors in the students' organisation, and was elected the party's MLA from Upper Assam's Moran constituency in 2001. In 2004, he went on to successfully contest the Lok Sabha polls wresting the seat for the first time from the Congress by defeating former Union Minister Paban Singh Ghatowar.


He, however, lost the 2009 parliamentary polls to Ghatowar from the same constituency which was once considered a Congress bastion.

Rosogollas take on TMC colours in Bengal.

Thanks, but no thanks.

Rediff.coms A Ganesh Nadar, who visited the DMK headquarters, Anna Arivalayam, in Chennai, found scenes of celebrations there, despite the party trailing in the state (DMK 83, AIADMK: 133).


We are winning the elections, party workers told GAnesh, you just wait and see. But what about the election results showing the DMK trailing in the state? All TV channels have taken money to show us losing, you just wait till the results are out, we are winning, they said.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee holds a press conference as her party sweeps the polls. Sitting next to her is party spokesperson Derek O'Brien.

"Want to thank the people of Bengal for giving us a huge victory. We fought alone this time. Last elections, Trinamool had won 184 seats in alliance. This time, Opposition was united against us. It is an unprecedented victory despite a joint opposition unleashing violence," says Mamata Banerjee on TMC's election win.


"Attempts to mislead and create an atmosphere of fear among people were made but they voted peacefully, fearlessly. A smear campaign was launched against us for last two years but we're thankful to people for rejecting such campaigns and giving us victory. People of West Bengal have rejected attempts to mislead them, and the conspiracies.


"Development will be my priority. I thank people of Bengal from bottom of my heart for keeping faith in TMC. I smile when people smile." 

The Congress must be getting used to saying this: "We accept the verdict of people with humility. My best wishes to the parties that have won the elections," says Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on the election results.

Congress today voiced disappointment over election trends in five states as they suggested that the party has lost in Kerala and Assam ruled by it and failed to make a dent in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu despite alliances. At the same time, party spokesperson Manish Tewari said that the outcome was "not unexpected" and cited yearning for a "change" as the reason for the party's debacle in Assam, where three-term Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi was leading Congress.


"The results are disappointing but not unexpected. After 15 years Assam was perhaps looking for a change, Kerala is cyclic," he said. With the Congress-CPI-M alliance failing to pose a threat to ruling Trinamool Congress, he said that despite the outcome, the alliance between Congress and the Left is "most natural".


Tewari's reaction came as trends indicated that BJP appears to have stormed Assam unseating Congress which also looks like losing Kerala as incumbent TMC and AIADMK are cruising comfortably to retain power in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.

Sources tell Rediff.com that J Jayalalithaa will sworn in for her second term as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on May 23. The ceremony is likely to take place at the Chennai Trade Centre at Nandambakkam.

Continuing to surge ahead, ruling AIADMK was leading in 138 seats while its arch rival DMK-headed front in 81 seats, according to latest trends in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections today.


AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa was leading by over 16,000 votes in Dr RK Nagar constituency, forging ahead of her DMK rival Shimla Muthchozhan.


Finance Minister and her trusted lieutenant O Panneerselvam was leading in Bodinayakanur. DMK and its allies were ahead in 83 seats with Congress accounting for nine of them.


DMK was leading in most of the constituencies in Chennai city. PMK, which contested all 232 seats on its own, was leading in five but its Chief Ministerial candidate Anbumani Ramadoss was trailing at the third spot behind DMK and AIADMK nominees in Pennagaram segment, which falls under Dharmapuri Lok Sabha constituency won by him in the 2014 Parliament elections.


The third front of DMDK-PWF-TMC, which projected itself as an alternative to the Dravidian majors, was nowhere in the lead so far. Its Chief Ministerial candidate and actor-turned politician Vijayakant himself was trailing in the third spot in Ulundurpet with AIADMK and DMK in the first and second positions respectively.


AIADMK supporters outside the party headquarters at Lloyds Road. That's the statue of party founder MG Ramachandran/pic: S Suresh.

As the BJP is set to form government in Assam, it's first in the north-east PM Modi tweets: "I salute all those who built the BJP in Kerala, brick by brick, decade after decade. It is due to them that we are seeing this day. In Kerala, the persistence of the Party has paid off today and we will become an even stronger voice of the people. I laud the efforts of our Karyakartas in WB amn TN. They put up a spirited performance & will continue to raise people's issues there.I thank the people of Assam, WB, TN, Puducherry & Kerala for their support & assure them we will always work hard & serve them. Across India, people are placing their faith in BJP & see it as the party that can usher in all-round & inclusive development. BJP will do everything possible to fulfil dreams & aspirations of the people of Assam & take the state's development journey to new heights. I spoke to @sarbanandsonwal & congratulated him for the performance of the party & the efforts through the campaign. Heartiest congratulations to Assam BJP Karyakartas & leaders for the exceptional win. This win is historic by all standards. Phenomenal!"

@narendramodi tweets: Heartiest congratulations to Assam BJP Karyakartas & leaders for the exceptional win. This win is historic by all standards. Phenomenal!

An AIADMK supporter dances with leaves symbolic of the party's symbol. 

"Spoken to Mamata Banerjee-ji and congratulated her on the impressive victory. My best wishes to her as she begins her 2nd term," PM tweets.

"Had a telephone conversation with Jayalalithaa-ji and congratulated her on her victory. Also conveyed my best wishes to her," tweets PM.

Actor Sarathkumar of the Samatthuva Makkal Katchi, who is contesting the elections on an AIADMK ticket is trailing from Tiruchendur. Sarath Kumar was in the news recently after the Election Commission seized Rs 9 lakh from his vehicle; the money was returned to him after he accounted for it.

Mamata Banerjee, the stormy petrel of West Bengal politics, once again proved a master strategist decimating the new Left-Congress combination and the BJP all of whom sought to checkmate her return to power.


The 61-year-old feisty leader, who had single-handedly wrecked the red bastion in West Bengal in 2011 ousting Left Front's uninterrupted 34-year-old rule, was unfazed by the coming together of Left parties and their once bitter rival Congress ahead of the Assembly polls.


She also faced an all out attack by BJP which fielded top party stalwarts led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, a battery of Union Ministers and state leaders for campaigning but they finally found that there was no way to stop her Trinamool Congress from romping home to victory.


Founder and chairperson of the Trinamool Congress which she set up in 1998 after falling out with the Congress Party in West Bengal, Banerjee, fondly called `Didi` (sister) by her supporters, has been the nemesis of the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Front and has earned the reputation of being a tough street fighter.


Banerjee earned laurels for various development initiatives in the state but also faced criticism over Saradha chit fund and Narada scams. After taking over as the chief minister in 2011, she had steered Trinamool Congress through victory in subsequent elections to panchayat, civic bodies and 2014 Lok Sabha.


Among various development schemes undertaken by her as the chief minister were 'Kanyashree' schemes for girls and 'Sabuj Sathi' under which cycles were distributed among the students, besides Rs 2 kg rice for the 8 crore people in the state.


However, multi-crore scams like Saradha and Narada had dented the image of her party as the opposition had made it a prime issue. Born to a middle class family and daughter of a freedom fighter and student of law and education, Banerjee in her initial years in public life was mentored by veteran Congress leader Subrata Mukherjee - now ironically a senior minister in her state cabinet.


Banerjee, baptized into politics as a student leader in Chhatra Parishad - Congress' student wing in the 1970s, shot into limelight by pulling off a stunning victory over CPI-M heavyweight and former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee in the 1984 Lok Sabha elections in from Jadavpur constituency to become one of the youngest MPs.


She soon became a rallying point for the anti-Left Front forces which saw in her an uncompromising, incorruptible and credible fighter in comparison to various senior leaders of state Congress of nineties.

In West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, where the incumbent Trinamool Congress and AIADMK respectively are surging ahead in initial rounds of counting, the vote share seems to be tilting heavily in their favour. According to data collated by the Election Commission, Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress has so far grabbed 46.1 per cent of the vote share, while J Jayalalithaa's AIADMK has managed 42 per cent of the votes counted so far.


The Trinammol Congress has so far managed 40.39 lakh votes, while the opposition CPI-M has managed 16.57 lakh votes (18.9 per cent) in West Bengal. In Tamil Nadu, the AIADMK has so far managed 15.92 lakh (42 per cent).


Its arch rival DMK has managed 10.98 lakh (29.9 per cent) votes. In Assam, where incumbent Congress is trailing in initial counting, it has managed 30 per cent or over 5 lakh votes. The BJP, which is leading, has managed 26.6 per cent or 4.39 lakh votes. The BJP had contested the assembly polls in Assam with smaller allies.

TMC leader Sovandeb Chattopadhyay on the Didi sweep in West Bengal: This victory is the victory of the people. Full credit goes to our leader Mamata Banerjee, Sovandeb Chattopadhyay, the Trinamool Congress candidate from Rashbehari,  told Indrani Roy/Rediff.com on Thursday. I had predicted that the TMC would win 200 plus seats. I am overjoyed, Chattopadhyay added.


Our detractors were crying themselves hoarse over the issue of corruption before the election. But to the people of Bengal, the issue of development is of utmost importance.


During the 2014 Lok Sabha election, Saradha was the centre of discussion. But that could not thwart the TMCs progress.


The people of Bengal are intelligent enough to understand which party will cater to their demands. They can decide their fate judiciously.

By reaffirming their confidence in Mamata (Banerjee), the people have proved that neither bad media nor political conspiracy can influence the ballots.


However, now that the verdict is out, the onus rests on the TMC to offer a corruption-free transparent administration to the people of Bengal.

"As a TMC man, I promise to be humble and kind to our Opposition. "Peace should not be disturbed."

AIADMK headquarters is also seeing a steady stream of party workers. Waving party flags they too are getting ready to celebrate. Once the results are out giving AIADMK a clear win, Jayalalithaa is expected come out of her house and greet them, like she did in 2011 when the party wrested power from DMK.

Making an headway, AIADMK was leading in 134 seats while DMK in 83 seats, as per early trends in counting of votes for 232 Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu today. J Jayalalithaa was leading by over 5,000 votes in RK Nagar in the city against her nearest rival Shimla Muthuchozhan of DMK. Jaya fought on her own and did not ally with any party, so if she stays with the leads and wins, it's her own victory.


Outside her house at Poes Road, frenzied AIADMK workers wait to catch a glimpse of their leader, shouting "Amma-na summava!" which loosely translates to, "Did you think she was a pushover."


Jayalalithaa's trusted lieutinant and party Treasurer O Panneerselvam was also leading in Bodinayakanur. AIADMK was leading in another 35 seats, while DMK was leading in 19 and its ally Congress in three and MMK in one, according to the Election Commission data. PMK, which went alone in the election, was leading in two seats.

AIADMK workers (why do they still look grim) wait to distribute packets of Amma sweets. Unless the DMK makes a miraculous recovery, Amma is set to return to power.

Congress leader and former Puducherry Chief Minister V Vaithilingam retains Kamaraj Nagar constituency by a margin of 5106 votes over nearest rival, P Ganesan of AIADMK.

CPI-M veteran V S Achuthanandan establishes lead of over 10,000 votes over rival C Krishnakumar of NDA.

Abir khela, literally translates to 'playing with gulal' is a part of Durga puja celebrations on the morning of visarjan to say goodbye to the goddess and wish each other prosperity and happiness. Here, jubilant TMC workers use the party's green colours to usher in Didi's second term in the state.

Karunanidhi so far has 22056 votes in Tiruvarur, and leads ADMK's Panneerselvam by more than 10,000 votes. DMDK chief Captain Vijaykanth trailing at third position in Ulundurpettai constituency.

The man who predicted an AIADMK win and told Saisuresh Sivaswamy and A Ganesh Nadar, "Jayalalithaa will come to power again." (In fact, Jaya had put him in jail). Read

Jayalalithaa's AIADMK set to beat exit poll forecasts with leads in 131 seats leaving DMK far behind at 85 seats. 

CPI-M politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan is leading by over 23,000 votes against nearest Congress rival Mambaram Divakaran in Dharmadam constituency in Kannur.

TMC leader Subrata Mukherjee on his party crossing the halfway mark: "The trend is definitely inspiring but unless the final results are in, I can't comment. In fact, we have been asked not to speak to the media until the final results are out," the Panchayat and Rural Development Minister told Indrani Roy/Rediff.com over the phone. "However, the trend speaks for itself that the people of Bengal have hailed the development work undertaken by the Trinamool Congress," he said.

That's a picture of Mamata Banerjee attacked by goons when she was leading a rally in Kolkata. Lalu Alam, accused of attempting to kill the Trinamool Congress chief, now claims he became a victim of the Left's conspiracy. The case is still on.
 

Here's what's happening in West Bengal...


Ruling Trinamool Congress today surged ahead in 201constituencies, whereas Congress-Left Front combine was ahead in 70 seats and BJP in two constituencies of West Bengal, according to initial trends available. GJM is leading in Darjeeling and Kalimpong seats.


Prominent candidates of TMC who are ahead are:

Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee from Baruipur Paschim Assembly segment by 4,378 votes.

State Finance Minister Amit Mitra is ahead in Khardaha seat by 589 votes.

State Women and Child Development Minister Shashi Panja is leading in Shyampukur seat by 4,667 seats.

TMC candidate and former cricketer Laxmi Ratan Shukla is ahead in Howrah Uttar seat by a margin of 1,266 votes.

State food supplies minister Jyotipriyo Mullick is leading by 3,164 votes from Habra seat.

Former state BJP president and national secretary Rahul Sinha is leading from Jorasakho constituency by 1,839 votes where the collapse of a flyover on March 31 had killed several people.

Siliguri Mayor and former Left Front minister Asok Bhattacharya (CPI-M) is leading by 1,873 votes from Siliguri seat in North Bengal.

Counting of votes for the 294 seat West Bengal Assembly began at 8 am across 90 venues spread all over the state.

Tamil Nadu: J Jayalalitha now certain to be TN CM as AIADMK crosses 128  seats. The half-way mark is 118. J Jayalalithaa was leading by over 5,000 votes in RK Nagar in the city against her nearest rival Shimla
Muthuchozhan of DMK.


West Bengal: Mamata Banerjee is leading with a margin of 1499 seats after the 1st round of counting from the Bhawanipore Assembly Constituency seat. TMC leads in 191seats, the halfway mark is 147.

Ruling Trinamool Congress today surged ahead in 211 constituencies, whereas Congress-Left Front combine was ahead in 70 seats and BJP in 9 constituencies of West Bengal, according to initial trends available. GJM is leading in Darjeeling and Kalimpong seats.


Outside the TMC headquarters in Kolkata's Alimuddin street, slogans of 'Thanda thanda cool, cool ghore ghore Trinamool' ring out as celebrations, albeit early, begin.


Prominent candidates of TMC who are ahead are Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee from Baruipur Paschim Assembly segment by 4,378 votes, whereas state Finance Minister Amit Mitra is ahead in Khardaha seat by 589 votes.


State Women and Child Development Minister Shashi Panja is leading in Shyampukur seat by 4,667 seats, TMC candidate and former cricketer Laxmi Ratan Shukla is ahead in Howrah Uttar seat by a margin of 1,266 votes, state food supplies minister Jyotipriyo Mullick is leading by 3,164 votes from Habra seat. Former state BJP president and national secretary Rahul Sinha is leading from Jorasakho constituency by 1,839 votes where the collapse of a flyover on March 31 had killed several people. Siliguri Mayor and former Left Front minister Asok Bhattacharya (CPI-M) is leading by 1,873 votes from Siliguri seat in North Bengal. Counting of votes for the 294 seat West Bengal Assembly began at 8 AM across 90 venues spread all over the state.

TMC leader Rezzak Mollah leads in Bhangar. Mollah attained his 15 minutes of notoriety when he compared BJP's Roopa Ganguly to Draupadi and said he knew the length of cigarettes she smokes.

According to The Hindu, counting of votes in Chengalpattu constituency was delayed as the key of the strong room was missing.   According to their live blog, counting of votes was therefore delayed by 45 minutes.

Ruling AIADMK is leading in 102 seats and its rival DMK in 78, with the BJP at 2 and Others: 1.  Jayalailithaa leads in RK Nagar constituency seat by 1906 votes.


Acccording to early trends in the counting of votes in Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. AIADMK was leading in Mayiladuthurai, Poompuhar, Sankari, Udhagamandalam and Athur, Election Commission said quoting early trends.

At Thuraiyur DMK was initially trailing but forged ahead. It was also leading in Thiruvaiyaru. The counting of votes polled in 232 Assembly constituencies in the state Tamil Nadu got underway earlier with the opening of postal ballots.

Early trends from Tamil Nadu: Actor Vijayakanth of the DMDK, who is contesting from Ulundurpet, is trailing.


Pic: DMDK chief Vijayakanth votes with his family on May 17.

BJP chief ministerial candidate Sarbananda Sonowal is leading in Majuli (ST) constituency in Assam over his nearest Congress rival sitting MLA Rajib Lochan Pegu by 1,510 votes after the first round of counting of votes comprising postal and EVM ballots. CM Tarun Gogoi leading from Titabor.

In other news from Tamil Nadu, Thol Thirumavalavan of the VCK, part of the People's Welfare Front, is trailing by more than 1000 votes in Kaattumannarkovil.

In Assam, exit polls show the BJP grabbing Assam comfortably from the Congress' Tarun Gogoi, who is seeking a fourth consecutive term as Chief Minister. This morning, Gogoi went to the famous Kamakhya temple to offer prayers and wished his adversary and probably the next chief minister of Assam -- Sarbananda Sonowal -- luck. "Good luck to him," Gogoi said in an interview to NDTV, adding that he "does not want to talk about  politics or exit polls".

That's the scene outside the DMK office in Chennai. 

In Chennai, AIADMK supporters hold a pooja for Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa's victory. The exit polls (3 out 4) predict a victory for the DMK. They also discount the DMDK-led Third Front of "Captain" Vijayakanth and the PMK of Anbumani Ramadoss.

Early trends from Tamil Nadu show that actor Vijayakanth of the DMDK, who is contesting from Ulundurpet, is trailing. The electoral battle is expected to be between the ruling AIADMK and the DMK, with the rest being squeezed out.

One of the primary reasons for an AIADMK loss, if the exit polls are right, is Jayalalithaa's lack of connect with the people.  


Praying for divine intervention: AIADMK workers offer prayers ahead of the counting.

The BJP has placed an order for sweets to feed over 6000 people in Assam.

Tamil Nadu latest EC data from postal ballots: AIADMK leading in 64 seats, DMK leading in 61 seats.

Trends in West Bengal (121/294):

TMC 107
Left+ 48
BJP 2
Others 0 

Meanwhile, an An EgyptAir flight heading from Paris to Cairo has disappeared from radar, the airline tweeted. There are 59 passengers, 10 crew members on board. Details awaited. 

As counting of votes for the 140-member Kerala Assembly progressed, early trends showed CPI-M-led LDF leading in 63 seats and Congress-headed UDF in 52, BJP 2, Others 1.


Kerala Minister A P Anil Kumar (Cong) is leading by 2325 votes in Wandoor constituency and minister K C Joseph (Cong) leading by 635 votes at Irrikur in Kannur district. Former Finance minister, K M Mani, is leading by 155 votes in Pala. LDF candidates leading include Ramachandran Kadanapally in Kannur, A M Shamseer (Thalassery), James Mathew (Thalaiparambu) and Mathew T Thomas of JDS in Pathnamthitta. Others are leading in one segment.

Pic: Polling officers counting votes in Tamil Nadu.

Shame. Former transport minister currently in jail in the Saradha Ponzi scam, Madan Mitra is leading at the moment

Counting of votes for the 294 seats of West Bengal Assembly began today across 90 venues spread all over the state.


A team of 20,000 personnel from the state and central government has been deployed to count votes in 394 counting halls which are being guarded by 78 companies of central forces.


Elections in the state were held in six-phases beginning from April 4 with 1961 candidates including 198 women in the fray.


The alliance of Left parties and Congress are throwing a major challenge to the ruling Trinamool Congress government. Despite being on the backfoot because of the Saradha chit fund scam and the Narada sting operation, several exit polls have predicted that Mamata Banerjee will return to power.


A tight three-tier security layer has been laid out during the counting process with Sec 144 being imposed on a 100 metre radius of counting venues.


The innermost security layer is being manned by central forces and state police personnel is not allowed to enter the counting hall. Only authorised personnel are allowed to enter the venue while only the observers have been given the liberty to carry mobile phones with them.


Each of the 294 constituencies has one counting observer to monitor the entire process. Additionally, a videographer is also documenting the counting in all centres.

Postal ballots being opened in a counting centre in Chennai. 

Early Trends: West Bengal (37/294):
TMC 27 l
Left+ 9 l
BJP 1 

Counting of votes polled for the 30-member Puducherry Assembly began  this morning amid tight security. A total of 344 candidates, including 96 independents, are in the fray in the polls held on May 16.

Three-tier security has been put in place at the counting centres. Prominent among the contestants are Chief Minister N Rangasamy (AINRC), his cabinet colleagues, leader of the opposition V Vaithilingam (Congress), Speaker V Sbapathy, former Rajya Sabha member P Kannan (AIADMK) and PCC leader A Namassivayam. AINRC, AIADMK, BJP and PMK have contested on their own while the Congress in alliance with DMK. Puducherry registered 84.8 per cent polling, 2.11 per cent less than the turnout in 2011

Counting of votes for 126 Assembly constituencies in Assam today began in 51 counting centres across the state amidst tight security. Counting began at 8 am to decide the fate of 1064 candidates in 51 counting centres comprising 143 counting halls and 1,771 counting tables.


The Election Commission of India has appointed 126 observers to oversee the counting and the entire process will be videographed. A three-tier security ring has been deployed for the counting with the first ring of armed CRPF personnel around the counting hall, the second layer manned by armed state police and the final ring comprising the district police around the 100-metre periphery of the centre.


Prohibitory orders will be in force within 100 metre periphery of the counting centre. Counting began first with the postal ballots and EVMs will be taken after that. Among the 1064 candidates, Congress contested in 122 constituencies, BJP in 89 and its alliance partners AGP in 30 and BPF in 13, AIUDF in 74, while the remaining are from CPI , CPM, CPI(ML)(L), unrecognised parties and Independents.

Postal ballots being opened in a counting centre in Chennai.

So, counting of votes for the highstakes Assembly elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam,Kerala and Puducherry begins with the counting of postal votes. Trends are expected to be available by 11 am. By 12 noon, a final picture could emerge on who would bethe major players in the five states.       

Election Commission officials said counting of votes, to commence at 8 am, will be over by 3 pm.


According to Election Commission guidelines, half-an-hour after the postal ballots are counted, the process of counting votes from the EVMs begins.       


The 'ballot unit' is switched on in the presence of senior poll officials and counting agents of candidates and the result command keyed in to get results per machine.       


Where a paper trail audit or 'voter-verified paper audit trail' has been used, the counting agent can call fora count of the paper slips in the drop box attached to the voting machine, but a final count is taken by the returning officer.       


Once the results are declared, the names of the winning candidates will find mention in the gazette. The gazette notification will initiate the process to form the next legislative assemblies in the states.       


According to various exit polls shown on TV channels on May 16, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Kerala have voted for change giving BJP its first government in the northeastern state dislodging Congress which also lost Kerala while DMK was set to regain power trouncing AIADMK.       


Only West Bengal has bucked the trend by re-electing Trinamool Congress led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who managed to hold on to power by defeating the Left-Congress alliance convincingly for a second consecutive term, the polls showed.       


The Congress could take solace from its projected victory in the tiny Union Territory of Puducherry where it is likely to get power in alliance with the DMK.       


The Exit poll results were released at the end of the polling in Tamil Nadu and Kerala on Monday, marking the closure of voting in five states.

When campaigning began, conventional wisdom was that Jayalalithaa and the AIADMK would come home easily. As the campaign has worn on, this wisdom has also shifted. The exit polls (3 out 4) predict a victory for the DMK. They also discount the DMDK-led Third Front of "Captain" Vijayakanth and the PMK of Anbumani Ramadoss. Watch the area around Chennai to see if the failure of the Jayalalithaa government during the floods last here is punished with a loss of seats. The DMK is strong in the North, and it needs to gain here if it is to win. More importantly, the AIADMK did really well in the Kaveri Delta where it won 44/54 seats, West (34 of 48 seats) in 2011, and if it is losing ground, then it will need to lose here.


File pic: Superstar Rajnikanth votes in Chennai.

Pondicherry has 30 Assembly seats spread across Pondicherry (23), and its other territories Karaikal in TN (5), Mahe in Kerala (1) and Yanam in AP (1). With the 65-year-old N Rangasamy, the current CM, breaking away from the Congress and striking out on his own, many experts expect the Congress-DMK front to claim power.

In Assam, where the BJP has high stakes, it could get its maiden government with India Today-Axis-My India polls giving the saffron alliance 79-93 seats in a house of 126.


The Congress has been projected to get 26-33 while All India United Democratic Front headed by Badruddin Ajmal is set to get 6-10 seats. 'Others' can get 1 to 4 seats. The ABP Ananda poll gave the BJP alliance 81 seats, Congress 33, AIUDF 10 and others 5. Times Now C Voter projected BJP to get 57 seats and Congress 41 while AIUDF and others are set to get 18 and 10 respectively. Today's Chanakya gave the BJP and overwhelming 90 seats against Congress' 27 and AIUDF 9. 


In the outgoing Assembly in Assam, the Congress had 78 seats while the BJP had only 5. The AIUDF had 18 seats while current BJP allies Bodo People's Front and Asom Gana Parishad had 12 and 10 seats respectively.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is seeking a second term in the state after she decimated the Left Front in the 2011 Assembly elections. Exit polls have projected her party, the Trinamool Congress, to get a clear majority in the 294 state assembly. The half-way mark in the House is 147.


In 2011, the Trinamool stormed power in the state bagging 184 seats. The Congress, which was aligned with it, bagged 42 of the 65 seats it contested.


The Left Front, which was ousted from power in the state after 34 years of interrupted rule, only managed to win 62 seats.

A neck-and-neck race is expected in Kerala as all 140 constituencies are in the fray in today's Assembly Elections.


For the ruling UDF, it is a battle for retaining power in the State. A success would also present an opportunity for the Congress to stage a comeback at the national level, after its humiliating loss in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.  


On the other hand, a drubbing in the polls for the LDF would spell disaster for it especially at a time when Left is trying hard for a comeback in West Bengal, once a stronghold of the Communists.  


The two fronts, ruling the state alternately, will have to factor in the challenge posed by BJP which had put up a better showing in recent civic elections in the State.


Pic: Kerala CM Oomen Chandy begins his day at a temple.

Assam, Tamil Nadu and Kerala have voted for change giving the Bharatiya Janata Party its first government in the northeastern state dislodging Congress which also lost Kerala while Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam was set to regain power trouncing All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, according to various exit polls shown on TV channels.

Only West Bengal has bucked the trend by re-electing Trinamool Congress led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who managed to hold on to power by defeating the Left-Congress alliance convincingly for a second consecutive term, the polls showed.

Counting of votes in the high-stakes Assembly elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala and Puducherry begin this morning at 8 am and the first trends are expected to be available after an hour -- at about 9 am. By 12 noon, a clear picture could emerge of who the winners are. According to various exit polls shown on TV channels on May 16, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Kerala appeared to have voted for change giving BJP its first government in the northeastern state dislodging Congress which may also lose Kerala. DMK has been tipped to regain power trouncing AIADMK in Tamil Nadu.

The Election Commission has set up a four-member team to look into alleged malpractices in Tamil Nadu's Aravakurichi and Thanjavur constituencies, where polling has been deferred to next week.

In a statement, the Election Commission said that the team would consist of a general observer, expenditure observer, police observer and another officer to look into the cause of large-scale distribution of gifts and money in the constituencies.

The Commission has also directed that additional teams be provided for every 10 polling stations in these two assembly constituencies to keep a close watch on the situation and monitor developments to ensure free and fair elections.

Among the 234 constituencies that went to polls on May 16, the Election Commission deferred elections in Aravakurichi and Thanjavur constituencies due to alleged distribution of gifts and money.

As per the order, polling for the two constituencies will now be held on May 23.

Greece's left-led government has submitted to Parliament a new package of creditor-demanded tax hikes and reforms worth $2 billion, which it hopes to have approved by lawmakers in time for a meeting of European officials next week.

The country's reform program is under close scrutiny by its creditors -- other European countries and the International Monetary Fund -- and a successful review would release a substantial slice of rescue loans allowing Greece to pay off bonds due this summer.

No details were immediately available on the measures, which are expected to include across-the-board tax hikes, including raising the rate of consumer tax by one percentage point to 24 per cent and increasing taxes on fuel, coffee, alcohol, tobacco and hotel stays.

However, the government has said it won't initially include a contingency plan that would automatically trigger extra budget savings if Greece misses savings targets in coming years.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a formal apology on Wednesday for an incident in which a shipload of Indians were refused entry into Canada more than 100 years ago.

More than 300 Indians were barred from Canada in 1914 after an immigration dispute, only for some to be killed in protests on their return to India.

"Today I rise in this House to offer an apology on behalf of the government of Canada for our role in the Komagata Maru incident," Trudeau said in parliament, referring to the name of the ship.

"More than a century ago a great injustice took place," he said.

After crossing the Pacific ocean aboard the Japanese liner Komagata Maru, the crew and nearly 300 Hindu, Muslim and Sikh passengers sailed into Vancouver harbour. The ship sat anchored offshore for two months before being escorted out to sea under the guns of a Canadian navy cruiser in July of that year.

Upon their return to India, passengers were arrested and British colonial officials planned to send them back home to the northern state of Punjab. Some refused to go and 20 were killed when police opened fire on a demonstration.

One person was killed and 85 injured on Wednesday as two strong aftershocks shook Ecuador a month after a devastating earthquake left some 700 dead, President Rafael Correa said.

'We regret to report the death of one adult,' Correa told a press conference after Ecuadorans were awakened by a 6.8-magnitude quake, followed by another measuring 6.7.

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Wednesday released names of 11 people, who he would consider, if elected, for nomination to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia in February.

This list was compiled, first and foremost, based on constitutional principles, with input from highly respected conservatives and Republican Party leadership, his campaign said.

'The following list of potential Supreme Court justices is representative of the kind of constitutional principles I value and, as President, I plan to use this list as a guide to nominate our next United States Supreme Court Justices,' Trump said in a statement.

Prominent among those include appellate judges Diane Sykes and William Pryor, which are the two names previously floated by Trump as model jurists. Others included in the list are Utah's Thomas Lee, Michigan's Raymond Kethledge and Joan Larsen, Minnesota's David Stras, Iowa's Steven Colloton, Colorado's Allison Eid and Missouri's Raymond Gruender.

Two strong earthquakes sent tens of thousands of Ecuadorans scrambling for safety on Wednesday night, one month after a much larger quake toppled buildings and killed some 700 people.

A powerful 6.7 magnitude quake struck Ecuador's northeastern coast just before noon, the country's Geophysical Institute said.

That followed a 6.7 magnitude earthquake that struck in approximately the same region at 2:57 am local time.

Six people were injured in the morning quake, only one seriously, officials said. Physical damage was minor. There were no initial reports of victims or damages in the second quake.

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