Dehradun: As the counting of votes progressed on Tuesday, BJP candidates in all five Lok Sabha seats of Uttarakhand have strengthened their lead over their nearest rivals.

According to the Election Commission, Union Minister of State for Defense and Tourism Ajay Bhatt is ahead of his nearest rival Prakash Joshi of Congress by 3,17,435 votes in Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar Lok Sabha seat.

Among the five BJP candidates, he is leading by the biggest margin.

Former Union Minister and BJP's Ajay Tamta is ahead of Congress's Pradeep Tamta by 2,08,816 votes in the Almora Lok Sabha seat.

BJP's national media in-charge and party candidate Anil Baluni has taken a lead of 1,30,313 votes against former Uttarakhand Congress president and party candidate Ganesh Godiyal in Pauri Garhwal Lok Sabha seat.

On Haridwar seat, former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand and BJP candidate Trivendra Singh Rawat is ahead of Congress's Virendra Rawat by 94,543 votes.

Virendra Rawat is the son of former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand and veteran Congress leader Harish Rawat.

In Tehri Lok Sabha seat, BJP's Maharani Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah is leading over her nearest rival Jot Singh Gunsola of Congress by 2,03,796 votes.

Independent candidate Bobby Panwar, who was running second in the initial round, has come to third place.

If the BJP maintains its lead and wins all five seats, it will be the party's third consecutive clean sweep in the state.

In the 2014 and 2019 general elections, BJP defeated Congress 5-0 by capturing all five Lok Sabha seats in the state.