Mumbai, Sept. 17 -- The key equity indices traded with slight gains in the mid- afternoon trade. The Nifty traded above the 25,300 level. Auto shares extended gains for second consecutive trading sessions.

At 14:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, rallied 235.64 points or 0.29% to 82,619.66. The Nifty 50 index added 49.95 points or 0.25% to 25,302.65.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index shed 0.02% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index added 0.30%.

The market breadth was positive. On the BSE, 2,313 shares rose and 1,791 shares fell. A total of 175 shares were unchanged.

Buzzing Index:

The Nifty Auto index rose 0.53% to 27,291.20. Over two straight sessions, the index has advanced by 1.98%.

Ashok Leyland (up 1.46%...