Exit Poll: Narendra Modi remains most preferred PM face, Rahul Gandhi stands at distant two

Narendra Modi remains the top choice for Prime Ministerial candidate with 50 per cent approval rating in the Lok Sabha elections 2019, according to the News Nation exit poll on Sunday. Modi is followed by Congress president Rahul Gandhi who trails with 32 per cent. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati is at the third position with 5 per cent, while Rahul Gandhi’s sister and Congress general secretary (UP East) Priyanka Gandhi’s approval rating is merely 4 per cent for the PM post.

The News Nation exit poll also predicted that BJP’s Narendra Modi is set to return as Prime Minister for the second term on May 23 when the results will be announced. The channel predicted that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will win anything between 282 and 290 seats, while the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) may garner a maximum of 126 seats.

#ExitPollWithNewsNation | As per News Nation Exit Poll, @narendramodi remains the top choice for prime minister with 50% approval rating. Congress president @RahulGandhi trails with 32%. #ExitPoll2019

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Interestingly, Others will perform better than the UPA with a maximum of 138 seats. The NDA won 336 seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, while the UPA, which had been in power for two straight terms, was reduced to 59.

The Lok Sabha Elections 2019 were held in seven phases, starting from April 11. Ninety-one constituencies went to the polls in the first phase, followed by 97 constituencies in the second phase on April 18. The third phase was held on April 23 and fourth on April 29, fifth on May 6, sixth on May 12 and seventh phase on May 19. 115 constituencies went to the polls in the third phase, 71 in the fourth phase, 51 in the fifth phase, 59 in the sixth phase and 59 in the seventh phase.

As many as nine exit polls, including the one conducted by News Nation, have projected a complete majority for the BJP-led NDA – an imminent setback to the anti-BJP parties’ anxious efforts to forge an alliance against the former.

The poll of polls, an aggregate of exit polls, has given the NDA a massive 311 of 542 seats (elections in Vellore Lok Sabha seat postponed). On the other hand, despite improving its 2014 performance, the Congress-led UPA is set to be a distant second with 114 seats.