Chhattisgarh: Election Commission shows BJP ahead in early trends at 10 am

Raipur: The ruling BJP was ahead in 27 seats and the Congress was leading in 24 constituencies as the counting of votes in elections to the Chhattisgarh assembly got underway on Sunday, the Election Commission said at 10 am.

TV news channels also started showing big change in state as BJP went ahead of Congress by 10.18 am in elections to the 90-member state assembly.

As per initial reports, Chhattisgarh deputy chief minister T S Singh Deo was leading in Ambikapur seat, while CM Bhupesh Baghel was trailing in Patan constituency.

Counting of votes in elections to the 90-member Chhattisgarh assembly started at 8 am on Sunday, with security personnel maintaining a strict vigil in counting centres in the state's 33 districts, including those affected by Left Wing Extremism (LWE), a poll official said.

The elections were held in two phases on November 7 and 17. Voter turnout stood at 76.31 per cent.

Postal ballots were counted between 8 am and 8.30 am, after which the counting of votes through EVMs began in the presence of officials and political parties' authorised agents, he said.