N Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is set for a comeback in Andhra Pradesh after a stunning victory in the state's Assembly polls show. The party contested the polls in alliance with BJP and Pawan Kalyan's JanaSena Party.
The party has announced that Mr Naidu will take oath as the Chief Minister on June 9 and PM Modi will attend the ceremony. YSRCP chief Jagan Reddy conceded defeat saying the results were"surprising" but his p[arty accepted the people's mandate.
In Odisha, BJP triumphed as it crossed the halfway mark while Naveen Patnaik's ruling BJD was left behind. The counting of votes for the Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha began at 8 am.
The Odisha Assembly polls seek to elect 147 members to the state's Legislative Assembly. The state voted for the Lok Sabha Elections and the assembly polls simultaneously from May 13 to June 1, over four phases.The ruling Biju Janata Dal is eyeing another term in the state under Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who has held the post for over 24 years. The BJD is contesting on 147 seats, BJP on 147 seats, Indian National Congress on 145 seats, Communist Party of India (Marxist) on 7 seats.
In Andhra Pradesh, Assembly Elections were held on May 13, along with the Lok Sabha polls. Seeking another term, the YSRCP contested on all 174 seats alone, while the TDP fielded candidates on 144 seats. Pawan Kalyan-led Jana Sena Party (JSP) contested on 21 seats and the BJP on 10 seats. Key contenders include Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy (YSRCP), TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, JSP's Pawan Kalyan.