Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted birthday wishes and congratulatory message to Captain Amarinder Singh, who is the chief ministerial candidate of the Congress in Punjab.
The party, with 77 seats in the 117-member Punjab Assembly so far, is all set to return to power after 10 years. Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which was projected as a strong contender to unseat the ruling Akali Dal-BJP government, is trailing far behind, with 22 seats. The Akali Dal-BJP coalition has won 18 seats.
In Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the BJP is all set to form government. The party has won 304 seats in Uttar Pradesh and 56 in the hill state so far, more than a clear majority in the respective Assemblies, while the final results for some constituencies in Uttar Pradesh are yet to be announced.
Spoke to @capt_amarinder & congratulated him on the win in Punjab. Also wished him a happy birthday & prayed for his long & healthy life.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 11, 2017
The election results are bound to alter the composition of the respective coalitions in the Rajya Sabha, where the Congress-led UPA is in a majority.
The unprecedented victory of BJP in Uttar Pradesh is bound to increase the party's current strength of 56 in the Rajya Sabha, crucial to drive economic reforms that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be keen to push. The state sends 31 members to the Upper House.
