One exit poll bucks the trend, predicts close contest between BJP, Congress
NEW DELHI: Even as most exit polls predicted an emphatic win for the BJP in the Haryana assembly elections, at least one major survey, by India Todayaxis My India, has bucked the trend suggesting that there is a neck-and-neck fight in the state and the result could be a hung assembly.
Unlike others, the India Today-axis My India poll suggests that the Dushyant Chautala-led Jantantrik Janata Party (JJP) may win 6-10 seats in the 90-member state assembly and could play a crucial role in government formation. Yesterday, after the polling ended, most other pollsters had showed that the ruling BJP led by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar was set to form the government again.
The India Today-axis My India exit poll results showed the BJP marginally ahead of rival Congress with 32-44 seats. It predicted 30-42 seats for the Congress.
In the last assembly election, the BJP won 47 seats while the half-way mark in Haryana assembly is 45. The Congress had won a mere 15 seats.
Another major predictions made by the exit poll is that Dushyant Chautala’s Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) could win 6-10 seats and emerge the kingmaker.
The election commission will announce the results on October 24.
In terms of vote share, the
India Today-axis My India poll predicted 33 % votes to the BJP, 32 % to the Congress. The JJP it said would get 14 %. Region wise it predicted that the BJP would win 6 of 14 seats in Ambala, while the Congress is expected to win 7 seats and the JJP one.
In Faridabad region, it gave BJP 5 of the 12 while predicting 6 for the Congress. In Gurgaon, it predicted that the BJP would win 7 of the 11 seats, while the Congress and others would bag two seats each. In Hisar region, BJP and Congress are likely to win 6 seats each. The JJP could win 5 seats in this region, it said.in Karnal, it predicted 4 for the Congress and 8 for the BJP. Khattar is a contestant from this region. The poll gave Congress 10 out of 20 seats in Rohtak, an area which has considerable clout of former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. The poll gave BJP 6 seats in Rohtak.
“We are of the firm belief that we will get 45-50 seats and Congress will form the government comfortably. This survey is closer to reality,” said Haryana Congress leader Ved Prakash Vidrohi. He, however, expressed confidence that the party would better the performance even this poll had suggested.
Most other polls had shown BJP emerging a clear victor. The most optimistic poll for the ruling party came from News 18-IPSOS, which predicted it would win 75 seats. The Congress, the same poll said, would win 10 seats. The most conservative projection came from the Republic-jan Ki Baat poll, which suggested that the BJP would bag between 52 and 63 seats and the Congress 15-19 seats. It gave the third position to the new party, JJP.
The ABP-C Voter poll gave the BJP 70 seats, the Congress eight seats, and others 12 seats in the state, while the Times Now poll gave 71 seats to the BJP, 11 to the Congress and eight to others in the state.
UNLIKE OTHERS, THE INDIA TODAY-AXIS MY INDIA POLL SUGGESTS THAT JJP MAY WIN 6-10 SEATS AND COULD PLAY A CRUCIAL ROLE IN GOVT FORMATION