Bangalore: Amid high volatility, several blue chip stocks have rallied sharply in late afternoon trade, and, mirroring their surge, the benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty have gained significant ground in the positive territory and look set for a firm close today. The Sensex is up 147.92 points or 0.97 percent at 15,378.96 while the Nifty has gained 44.80 points or 0.99 percent at 4,568.55. Auto, realty and metal stocks are among the prominent gainers. Information technology, capital goods and power stocks are also seeing a good round of buying this afternoon. FMCG stocks have rallied after remaining subdued for a long time. Consumer durables and PSU sectors witness stock specific action. Pharma and oil stocks remain somewhat subdued. Bank stocks are exhibiting a mixed trend. Chart showing today's performance of Sensex is on the left. Scores of midcap and smallcap stocks have rallied higher on strong buying support. Tata Power, BHEL, NTPC, Grasim Industries, Larsen & Toubro, ITC, Tata Consultancy Services, Reliance Communications and Wipro are up with notable gains. Punjab National Bank, Sun Pharmaceuticals, Ambuja Cements, HDFC, State Bank of India, Reliance Industries, Cipla, Tata Communications, HDFC Bank and SAIL are down in the red due to sustained selling pressure.