New Delhi: The die is cast. The people of West Bengal voted in record numbers, in both phases, on April 23 and 29.
Counting of votes will not be taken up before May 4, but the exit polls have started tumbling out.
So will Mamata Banerjee’s 15-year reign come to an end, heralding BJP’s first-ever poll success in West Bengal?
Well, most of the exit polls indicate that the Trinamool Congress (TMC
) government will be toppled by the saffron party.
With the magic number to attain majority being 148, three exit polls gave the BJP between 146-175 seats. People’s Pulse, on the other hand, has predicted a return of TMC for a fourth term, with 177-187 seats.
EXIT POLL NUMBERS
Matrize — BJP 146-161, TMC 125-140 seats
PMarq — 150-175, TMC 118-138
Chanakya Strategies — BJP 150-160, TMC 130-140
Poll Diary – BJP 142-171, TMC 99-127
The disclaimer is that exit poll numbers should be taken with a pinch of salt. These polls have got it wrong multiple times. For instance, in the previous Assembly elections in West Bengal, most pollsters had predicted a photo finish between the TMC and BJP. However, Mamata Banerjee’s party swept the elections with 215 seats out of 294.