Mumbai, March 6 -- The key equity benchmarks extended gains in mid-afternoon trade. The Nifty traded above the 22,500 level. Pharma shares extended gains for the two consecutive trading sessions.

At 14:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, surged 456.61 points, or 0.62%, to 74,186.84. The Nifty 50 index added 169.60 points, or 0.76%, to 22,506.90.

The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.81%, and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index added 1.75%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 3,035 shares rose and 898 shares fell. A total of 125 shares were unchanged.

Politics:

The BJP secured two out of three Member of Legislative Council (MLC) seats in Telangana, winning the prestigious ...