US Election Result: Trump Defies Exit Polls, Leads With 198 Electoral Votes As Harris Trails With 109

US Presidential Election Result: Most of the current projections are from partisan states, which have historically supported either Democratic or Republican

Election Day continued relatively smoothly in the United States, with counting underway in several states where polls have closed. As per projections by US networks, former President Donald Trump has defied the exit poll prediction and is winning 10 states, while his democrat rival and Vice President Kamala Harris is leading in five. As for electoral college numbers, Trump has so far secured 198 electoral votes as Harris trails with 109.

In the US, the electoral college determines the winner in this election. The Electoral College is a 538-member body that elects a president. Each state’s electors vote for the candidate who won the popular vote in that state. The runner-up gets nothing — except in Nebraska and Maine where elector votes are awarded based on congressional district and statewide results. To win the presidency, a candidate must secure 270 electoral votes, — a majority of the 538 possible votes.

Most of the current projections are from partisan states, which have historically supported either Democratic or Republican. It will result in the seven swing states-- Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin -- which will effectively decide who will be the 47th President of the United States.

The race has remained stubbornly deadlocked for weeks with some of the election forecasters giving 60-year Harris an edge over former President Trump, 78, in some of the key battleground states like Pennsylvania. However, the final outcome of the race remained uncertain with critical battleground states unlikely to be called for hours or even days. 

Meanwhile, Reuters reported that Republicans are inching toward winning control of the US Senate with a victory in West Virginia, while neither party appeared to have an edge in the battle for the House of Representatives.

With both chambers of Congress at stake, the results will determine how successfully the next president - Republican Donald Trump or Democrat Kamala Harris - will be able to govern over the next two years-- before all House seats will again be up for grabs.