SP set to rule UP, shocker for Cong in Punjab

UTTAR PRADESH (402/403) Party Lead Won BSP 17 61 SP 39 184 Cong+ 9 20 BJP 9 39 RLD 4 5 Others 6 9 UTTARAKHAND  (70) Party Lead Won BSP 0 3 BJP 3 28 Cong 7 25 UKD(P) 0 1 Others 0 3 PUNJAB (117) Party Lead Won BJP 0 12 Cong 0 46 SAD 0 56 Others 0 3 GOA (38/40) Party Lead Won BJP 2 19 Cong 0 9 MG 0 3 Others 0 7 MANIPUR (54/60) Party Lead Won Cong+ 1 42 TMC 0 7 LJP 0 1 NPF 0 4 Others 1 4 Last Updated at 6:30 PM New Delhi, Mar 6 (PTI): The Samajwadi Party appears set to rule Uttar Pradesh after dethroning Mayawati and her Bahujan Samaj Party, according to official trends of vote counting in five states in the Assembly elections. The combine of the Akali Dal and Bharatiya Janata Party might retain Punjab and the Congress is expected to begin a third term in Manipur. Goa is set to see a change of government with BJP ousting Congress and Uttarakhand witnessing a neck and neck race between ruling BJP and opposition Congress. In Uttar Pradesh, Mulayam Singh's SP was ahead in 196 seats, just six short of majority in the 403-member Assembly in which the ruling BSP has been reduced to 91 from 206 it held in the outgoing House. Mulayam's son Akhilesh Yadav is said to have played a major role in the revival of the SP, and it may not need the support of parties like Congress. The shock for the Congress came from Punjab, which it was widely expected to wrest from Akali Dal-BJP combine. The ruling coalition has won 16 seats and was ahead in 49 of the 117 seats, five more than simple majority. However, the hill-state of Uttarakhand appeared to be a cliff-hanger with BJP and Congress equally placed. Congress was ahead in 30 seats while BJP has won one seat and was ahead in 29 seats. BSP was leading in four seats while MGP was ahead in one seat. The BJP appeared to oust Congress from power in Goa as it has won eight seats and was leading in four while its partner MGP has won one seat. Manipur came as the only solace for the Congress: it won 11 seats and was leading in six while LJP and Trinamul Congress won one seat each. The Naga People's Front had won two and was leading in one. Source: http://eciresults.ap.nic.in/PartyWiseResult.htm