Mamata set to create history in Bengal; Jaya to be CM again

New Delhi, May 13 (PTI) Trinamool Congress-led
alliance was on the cusp of a historic victory in the eastern
Indian state of West Bengal while Congress appeared set to
capture the southern Indian state of Kerala and retain the
eastern Indian state of Assam but its ally DMK was facing rout
in Tamil Nadu in the elections to state assemblies.
Congress was also set to retain power in Puducherry
for a third consecutive term.
Ending the 34-year rule of the Left Front in West
Bengal, Trinamool Congress led alliance is set to sweep
elections to the 294-member Assembly by leading in 210 seats
while the CPI(M)-led Left Front is ahead in 66 seats.
Trinamool Congress alone is leading in 177 seats, well
above the halfway mark of 147 that may enable Mamata Banerjee
form a government on her own. Her ally Congress was ahead in
33 seats while CPI(M) was ahead in 48.
AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa is set to become Chief
Minister for the third time in Tamil Nadu after worsting DMK
in the keenly-contested elections in which the 2G scam was a
major issue.
AIADMK alliance was ahead in 194 seats and DMK combine
in 36. AIADMK alone is leading in 136 seats, which well above
the half-way mark.
Tarun Gogoi of Congress is on the road to retaining
power for a third consecutive term with his party leading in
72 seats out of the total 126 seats.
Congress, which contested alone, gets absolute
majority this time unlike last time when it had only 53 seats
and had to depend on support of Bodo People's Front.
Kerala, which appeared to present a neck and neck
fight, was finally going the Congress way. The Congress
led-UDF was ahead in 73 while CPI(M)-led LDF was leading in 67
seats.
In the 30-member assembly in Puducherry, Congress-led
alliance was ahead in 13 seats while N Rangaswamy Congress-led
combine was leading in 10.