Modi’s BJP ahead in elections: Exit polls
new delhi — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party is well ahead of rivals in an election in the country’s most populous state, but may fall short of an absolute majority, major exit polls showed on Thursday.
Victory for Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh, which is home to 220 million people, would boost his chances of winning the 2019 general election. Modi would also see success as vindication of his sudden decision in November to abolish high-denomination banknotes to rein in corruption.
The BJP would win 179 seats, according to an average of four exit polls compiled by news channel NDTV, ahead of an alliance between the ruling Samajwadi Party and the Congress party that is seen picking up 136 seats.
Thursday’s exit polls also forecast a neck-and-neck race between Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab, where the ruling coalition, of which the BJP is a member, faces a drubbing.
Polls predicted that the BJP would retain power in Goa and take Uttarakhand from Congress. — Reuters
Uttar Pradesh is likely to get a hung assembly with the BJP at the head of a splintered verdict while the AAP may finish on top of a three-way fight in Punjab, most exit polls said on Thursday.
The BJP was predicted to get a majority in Congress-ruled Uttarakhand, according to four of the five exit polls following balloting in five states between February 4 and March 8. The vote count is due on Saturday.
In Goa, the ruling BJP had an edge, with some exit polls predicting a simple majority and others projecting it to emerge as the single largest group in the 40-member house.
The average exit poll results — which in the past have proven to be unreliable — gave 180 seats for the BJP in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh assembly, way short of the 202-mark needed to form a government.
According to NewsX-MRC poll, the BJP and its allies may win 185 seats, the Congress-Samajwadi Party combine 120 and the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) 90.
The India TV-CVoter exit poll predicted 155-167 seats for the BJP, 135-147 forth eS a maj wadiCongress alliance and 81-93 for the BSP.
But TimesNow-VMR predicted the BJP could win 190-210 seats, the Samajwadi-Congress 110-130 and the BSP 57-74. CNN-News18Gramener said the BJP could win 164 seats, the Samajwadi-Congress 147 and the BSP 81.
The IndiaToday-Axis poll, however, gave the BJP a comfortable majority of 251-279 seats. The Samajwadi-Congress could win 88112 seats and the BSP 28-42 seats.
Punjab, according to three of the four exit polls, was likely to go the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) way.
India TV-CVoter exit poll gave the AAP 59 to 67 seats. The halfway mark in the Punjab assembly is 59 seats.
IndiaToday-Axis, NewsX-MRC, News24-Chanakya showed the latest entrant in national politics winning 51-55 seats in Punjab.
But IndiaToday-Axis predicted a Congress win with 62-71 seats. All these polls forecast a BJP-Akali rout after 10 years in office.
In Goa, the average polls predicted a hung assembly.
IndiaToday-Axis predicted 1822 seats for the BJP and 9-13 for the Congress. The India TV-CVoter poll said the BJP was expected to win 15-21 seats, the Congress and its allies 12-18 and the AAP 0-4 seats.
The NewsX-MRC survey said the BJP may get 15, the Congress 10 and the AAP seven.
Uttarakhand, according to exit poll average, is likely to swing in favour of the BJP.
IndiaToday-Axis gave the BJP 46-53 seats and the ruling Congress 12-21 in the state. News24Chanakya also gave the BJP 53 seats and the Congress 15.
The India TV-CVoter poll findings said both the BJP and Congress were neck and neck — 29-35 seats — but short of majority in the 70-member house.
NewsX-MRC said the BJP may get 38 and the Congress 30 in Uttarakhand.
In Congress-ruled Manipur, the BJP is expected to win 25 to 31 in the 60-member house, as predicted by the India TV-CVoter survey. The Congress may finish second with 17 to 23 seats.
The IndiaToday-Axis poll, however, showed the Congress winning 30-36 and the BJP 16-22. CNNNews18-Gramener projected 25 seats for the BJP and 24 for the Congress. —