The ruling BJP will comfortably win the Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana, predicted exit polls after the end of polling in the states. The election are the first since Prime Minister Narendra Modi's landslide victory in the Lok Sabha elections in May.
The Poll of Exit Polls by News Nation predicts the saffron party is likely to get as many as 67 seats in Haryana, a massive 20 seats jump from its 2014 tally. The Congress, which won 15 seats in the 2014 Haryana Assembly elections is projected to win 13 seats. The Om Prakash Chautala-led INLD looks to face the biggest setback as its tally is likely to come down to a single seat in 2014 Lok Sabha
In Maharashtra, the BJP-Sena is likely to win 230 of 288 seats, while the Congress is predicted to win 48 seats, according to Times Now.
India Today-Axis My India predicts between 166 and 194 seats for the ruling combine and 72 to 90 for the opposition.
According to CNN News 18-IPSOS exit poll, the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance may secure 243 seats, the Congress + NCP will settle for 41 seats, while Others may win 4 seats.
Republic TV-Jan Ki Baat predicts that the BJP is likely to win anything between 135 and 142 seats, its ally Shiv Sena may secure 81-88 seats, while the Congress is set to win between 20 and 24 seats. The Congress’s partner NCP will win 30-35 seats.
According to the ABP News-C voter, the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance will win 204 seats, while the Congress will end up winning only 69 seats. Others, on the other hand, may secure 15 seats.
TV9-Cicero exit poll predicts 197 seats for the BJP-Shiv Sena combine, 75 seats for the Congress and 16 for the Others.
According to the NewsX-Polstrat exit poll, the BJP will win 144-150 seats, the Shiv Sena 44-50 seats, the Congress 40-50 seats, the NCP may win 34-39 seats.
Haryana: Here’s how pollsters predicted
Republic TV-Jan Ki Baat Exit Poll
BJP: 57 seats
Congress: 17 seats
Others: 16 seats
Times Now Exit Poll
BJP: 71 seats
Congress: 11 seats
Others: 8 seats
TV9 Bharatvarsh Exit Poll
BJP: 47 seats
Congress: 23 seats
Others: 20 seats
ABP News-C Voter Exit Poll
BJP: 72 seats
Congress: 8 seats
Others: 10 seats
NewsX-Polstrat Exit Poll
BJP: 77 seats
Congress:11 seats
Others: 2 seats
News 18 Exit Poll
BJP: 75
Congress: 10
Others: 5
News Nation Poll of Exit Polls
BJP: 67
Congress: 13
Others: 10
Shiv Sena leader Sheetal Mhatre told a news channel that the party expects more seats will come its way.
"We will definitely win 90-100 seats. We are sure the Mahayuti will form government," she added.
NCP chief spokesperson Nawab Malik though questioned the exit poll figures.
"What is the sample size of the surveys? Sometimes exit poll surveys depict right picture, while sometimes they are incorrect. So, the true picture will be known on October 24," Malik said.
Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant seconded Malik and dismissed the surveys.
"Exit polls are not accurate. News channels had suggested different result during the opinion poll two days ago. So, these are going to change. We will do way better than the figures shown in exit poll surveys," he added.
In Mahrashtra, as many as 3,237 candidates, including 235 women, are contested in 288 seats and 96,661 polling booths were in place with 6.5 lakh staff for the voting exercise.
The high-voltage electioneering by the BJP saw participation of a galaxy of leaders led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his cabinet colleagues Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, as it continued to aggressively raise the nationalism plank by focusing on scrapping of Article 370 provisions on special status to Jammu and Kashmir and targeted the opposition on national security and corruption.
The opposition tried to corner the BJP governments at the Centre and in the states on the handling of the economy with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi blaming the ruling party for the economic slowdown and unemployment and highlighting issues like "failure" of demonetisation and GST rollout.
The BJP, which is seeking a second straight term under Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Maharashtra, is contesting 164 seats, which include candidates of smaller allies contesting on its lotus symbol, while Sena has fielded candidates on 124 seats.
On the other hand, the Congress has fielded 147 candidates and the ally NCP 121.
In Haryana, as many as 27,611 Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines were used for the polls.
In the polls, Dushyant Chautala-led Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), a breakaway faction of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), is hoping for an improvement in its prospects following the debacle in the recently concluded Lok Sabha election, in which Bharatiya Janata Party had won all the 10 seats in the state.
The JJP had emerged on the scene following a feud in the Chautala clan in December last year.
The BJP has fielded three sportspersons -- Babita Phogat (Dadri), Yogeshwar Dutt (Baroda in Sonipat) and Sandeep Singh (Pehowa) -- besides TikTok star Sonali Phogat from Adampur.
Prestige of families of Haryana's famous 'Lals' -- Devi Lal, Bansi Lal and Bhajan Lal, who were former chief ministers--is also at stake.
Late Bansi Lal's daughter-in-law Kiran Choudhary (Tosham) and son Ranbir Mahendra (Badhra) are contesting as Congress candidates. Devi Lal's great grandson and JJP leader Dushyant Chautala (Uchana Kalan) and granddaughter-in-law Naina Chautala (Badhra) are fighting as JJP candidates.
Devi Lal's grandson and former chief minister O P Chautala's son Abhay Singh Chautala is fighting as INLD candidate (from Ellenabad.
Late Bhajan Lal's sons Kuldeep Bishnoi (Adampur) and Chander Mohan (Panchkula) are in the fray as Congress nominees.
(With PTI inputs)
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