New Delhi: State assembly elections in 5 states got over on Thursday evening. It’s over to the exit polls now to give an idea of who could be smiling on December 3, when votes will be counted.
The number of exit polls are increasing with every election. The numbers they are projecting vary from state to state, party to party.
To summarise, a close race seems to be on cards in Congress-ruled Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. Madhya Pradesh is likely to be retained by the BJP, while Congress could capture Telangana by upstaging the K Chandrashekar Rao-headed BRS government.
Chhattisgarh
Nine exit polls are predicting a second term for Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government. With the magic number in the 90-member assembly being 46, Congress is shown to be winning between 40-45 and 50-55 seats, While the BJP is in the 35-45 range.
Madhya Pradesh
Congress is desperate to unseat the BJP and deny another term to three-time Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who came to power yet again in 2020 despite defeat in 2018, thanks to the crossing over of Congress’ Jyotiraditya Scindia and his 20-plus loyalists to BJP.
News24-Today’s Chanakya gives BJP 151 out of 230 seats and Congress 74 in MP. The other exit polls predict a tight race, with the saffron party looking to have its nose in front.
Rajasthan
Most eyes will be on Rajasthan, a major state which Congress wants to hold on keeping in mind Lok Sabha elections in six months’ time. It’s a state where the electorate has voted out the incumbent since early 1990s, and Congress Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s hopes of bucking the trend may not be fulfilled.
Seven of the exit polls have predicted victory or a lead for BJP, with two giving Congress a chance that it could sneak through.
Telangana
Voters in the southern state could script the biggest upset. KCR, who has ruled the state since its inception in 2014, may be in for a shock as 5 exit polls suggest that regional party BRS will be replaced by the Congress in this election.
Mizoram
The north-eastern state could see a hung assembly in the 40 seats, as predicted by three out of six exit polls. That would be a setback for BJP as only two exit polls have found the BJP-MNF ruling alliance may have a slim chance of victory. One of the exit polls has predicted a sweep for new party Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM).
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