Samajwadi Party and BJP appeared to take early leads in Uttar Pradesh where counting of votes began after a seven-phased elections concluded on Saturday. Early trends for showed the Mulayam Singh Yadav-led SP leading on 95 seats while the BJP was ahead in 55 seats.

The results will decide the fate of candidates in 690 assembly seats -- 403 in UP, 117 seats in Punjab, 70 in Uttarakhand, 60 in Manipur and 40 in Goa.  Today’s result will also determine BJP’s identity as a national party as in last year’s assembly poll they fared pretty badly. We will also come to know if Rahul Gandhi’s magic works for the congress and if his yatras in UP will pay off.

Uttar Pradesh: 403 Assembly Seats

Congress faces an uphill task in reviving its fortunes in the Mayawati-ruled Uttar Pradesh where its campaign was led from the front by Rahul Gandhi.
Congress is contesting 357 seats in the state out of 403 seats where it won 22 seats in the 2007 state polls.

The ruling BSP, which won 206 in last elections, in UP has contested all 403 seats, SP 402, BJP 398 and RLD 46.

The result in UP, the state having 403 seats, is most awaited. Will Mulayam Singh's Samajwadi Party emerge as the party with maximum number of seats as predicted in most exit polls? Will SP get the majority and be able to form the government on its own or will it need the support of other parties like the Congress to form the government? How will the ruling BSP perform in the elections and how will campaigning by Rahul Gandhi change the fortune of the Congress party in the assembly polls are some of the most eagerly awaited questions which will be answered today.

What are the likely scenarios in Uttar Pradesh?  The one likely possibility is Samajwadi Party emerging as the single largest party or getting the required majority to form the government. If SP gets the majority it will form the government and all speculations will end. However, if SP emerges as the largest party but short of majority, the role of other parties will come into play.

In such a situation the Congress and Ajit Singh's RLD can support the Samajwadi Party and help in government formation in the state. Otherwise RLD can join SP while Congress can give outside support to the alliance.

Voters in Uttar Pradesh set an all-time record in polling percentage, with officials saying about 60 per cent of its 127 million electorate exercised their franchise in the staggered polling that began February 8.

The 59.16 per cent aggregate polling in the 2012 assembly ballot had surpassed all past records of both Lok Sabha and state elections since the first general election in 1952.

The previous highest vote percentage was 57.13 per cent (1993 assembly elections). The least ever polling was in the simultaneous assembly (39.29 per cent) and Lok Sabha (38.41 per cent) elections of 1951-52.

Exit polls said the Samajwadi Party was most likely to take power in Uttar Pradesh amid a hung assembly