Will decide on govt formation after meeting INDIA alliance partners: Rahul Gandhi

The Congress-led INDIA bloc is way behind the NDA but it decimated all exit poll predictions that had given the BJP a landslide victory. BJP as a party in the NDA alliance has not secured a simple majority and can only form government as an NDA coalition.

"We will hold a meeting with our alliance partners tomorrow. These questions will be raised and answered there. We won't make any statements without asking our alliance partners," brandishing a copy of the Indian Constitution a confident looking Gandhi said while addressing a press conference.

Gandhi said he has not decided on the seat he would retain after registering victory in both Wayand and Raebareli.

He praised KL Sharma who beat Union Minister Smriti Irani to snatch back Gandhi bastion Amethi after it slipped out of the grand old party's hands in 2019.

Irani had defeated Rahul Gandhi from Amethi last year after failing in her first attempt in 2014.

"KL Sharma is closely connected with Amethi and hence his victory was assured. I am congratulating him for the victory," Gandhi said.

He said the people of Uttar Pradesh have done a 'remarkable task' and showed a matured political vision by voting against the BJP and saving the country's constitution.

The INDIA bloc candidates are leading or winning 43 seats in the politically crucial state while the BJP scalped 36.

"We are thankful to the people of Uttar Pradesh for supporting INDIA bloc in the polls. All states have contributed but UP has done a wonderful job in saving the Indian constitution," he said and even praised her sister and party colleague Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for playing her part in the polls.

Why Rahul Gandhi fought from Raebareli?

Raebareli assumes political significance since it is historically a Gandhi bastion and before Rahul Gandhi, it was his mother Sonia Gandhi who had won the polls from the seat.

Sonia Gandhi, a Congress veteran, has opted out of the Lok Sabha contest by moving to the Rajya Sabha.

Rahul Gandhi's closest opponent in the seat is BJP's Dinesh Pratap Singh.

Rahul Gandhi had previously contested in the Lok Sabha elections from Amethi seat.

In the southern state of Wayanad, Rahul Gandhi is leading with a margin of 3,13,001 votes against CPI national women leader and Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate Annie Raja.

Counting on with BJP failing to cross 300

After a marathon seven-phase polling which went on for six weeks, the counting of the general election votes has been going on since Tuesday morning.

The exit-polls predictions which mostly hinted at a landslide win for the saffron brigade proved wrong. The Bharatiya Janata Party faltered but it still can return to power riding on allies like Chandrababu Naidu's TDP and Nitish Kumar's JD-U.

If PM Narendra Modi is chosen again to lead the NDA it will be a rare third straight term for him and equal the record of India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

The NDA is leading in 293 seats at present, way less than the 400 mark that the BJP had set for themselves before the polls.

"Ab ki bar 400 par (Will win over 400 seats this time)," Modi had repeatedly said in his campaigns during the polls.

INDIA alliance is leading in 233 seats now, way higher than predicted by exit polls.