The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party secured a comfortable lead in Uttarakhand on Thursday with its candidates ahead in 46 assembly seats while the main opposition Congress was leading in 21 seats, according to latest poll trends available.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami was, however, trailing behind Bhuwan Chandra Kapri of the Congress in Khatima by 6,951 votes, the Election Commission said.
Dhami faces the challenge of bucking the trend of incumbent chief ministers losing in Uttarakhand.
The Bahujan Samaj Party is leading on one seat and Independents on two, the Election Commission said.
The BJP's vote share so far is 43.9 per cent while that of Congress is 39.3 per cent.
The BJP is all set for a second consecutive term in office this time, something which has never happened in the state's 21-year history.
Prominent candidates trailing in their respective seats included Congress veteran Harish Rawat, who was behind Mohan Singh Bisht of the BJP by 12,048 votes in Lalkuan and Subodh Uniyal of the BJP, who was trailing behind Om Gopal Rawat of the Congress in Narendra Nagar by 231 votes.
Yashpal Arya, who had returned to the Congress fold from the BJP ahead of the polls is leading over BJP's Rajesh Kumar in Bajpur by 3,076 votes.
Pritam Singh of the Congress is leading in Chakrata by 6,657 votes against Ramsharan Nautiyal of the BJP.
Pradesh Congress Committee president Ganesh Godiyal is leading over BJP's Dhan Singh Rawat on Srinagar Garhwal seat and BJP president Madan Kaushik is leading over Congress's Satpal Brahmachari in Haridwar by 1,413 votes.
Harak Singh Rawat's daughter-in-law Anukriti Gusain Rawat is also trailing behind BJP's Daleep Singh Rawat by 5,466 votes in Lansdowne.
However, Harish Rawat's daughter Anupama Rawat is leading in Haridwar rural seat against BJP's Yatishwaranand.
Routed in the 2017 assembly polls with a tally of 11 seats against the BJP's 57, the Congress is trying to stage a comeback.