BJP flies past halfway mark in Uttarakhand, but CM Dhami trails 

The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has crossed the halfway mark in Uttarakhand as it is leading at 42 seats out of the total 70 seats in the hill state (10:30 am). 

While the party has gained a healthy lead, Chief Minister (CM) Pushkar Singh Dhami is trailing from the Udham Singh Nagar Khatima constituency. Congress secured 25 seats (10:30 am) while Aam Aadmi Party is yet to bag a single seat, as per India Today’s election dashboard. 

Former CM Harish Rawat is trailing by 5,219 votes from Lalkuan Constituency, and BJP Candidate Mohan Bisht has taken a lead. 
 

If BJP is able to win the election, it will be the first time that a government will be repeated since the formation of Uttarakhand. The BJP had won 57 out of 70 seats in the last assembly polls, a rise of 26 seats from its 2012 tally.

The party had secured a 46.51 per cent vote share in the 2017 polls. The Congress could win only 11 seats though the party had 33.49 per cent vote share.

The BJP changed three chief ministers in about a year in the hill state. Dhami has said the party's numbers will be more than that predicted by exit polls.

Also read: Punjab election result: AAP crosses halfway mark in Punjab