PM Modi Likely To Get Second Term As Exit Polls Predict Majority For NDA

New Delhi: The seven phase of Lok Sabha elections concluded on Sunday with most exit polls predicting that Narendra Modi would return to power.

According to different polls released by media houses, BJP and its alliance partners are likely to win a majority of seats in the lower house of Parliament. They are expected to win about 290 to 300 seats in the 545 member House.

Opposition Congress seemed to have done marginally better than its stunning defeat in the last elections in 2014, but it remained a distant second to the NDA alliance.

Despite simmering discontent over rising unemployment and the adverse impact of demonetisation, Modi’s popularity continues to soar if the exit poll results are anything to go by.

While the opposition, particularly Mamata Banerjee-led TMC, was quick to dismiss the results, previous exit polls in 2009 and 2014 did correctly project the trends even as the final figures varied from one organisation to another.

Dubbing exit polls as “gossip”, Mamata said she doesn’t trust such surveys, as the “game plan” is to use them to “manipulate” the EVMs.

“I don’t trust Exit Poll gossip. The game plan is to manipulate or replace thousands of EVMs through this gossip. I appeal to all Opposition parties to be united, strong and bold. We will fight this battle together,” she tweeted.

The numbers:

Times Now: NDA 306, UPA 132, Others 104

India News: NDA 298, UPA 118, Others 127

Republic: NDA 295-315, UPA 122-125, Others 102-125 (Republic TV has done two exit polls. According to CVoter NDA will get 287, UPA 128, others 127. Jan Ki Baat prediction is NDA 305, UPA 124, Others 87, Mahagathbandhan 26)

NDTV’s poll of exit polls gives NDA 300, UPA 127 and Others 115

IANS CVOTER: BJP: 236, Congress: 80; NDA: 287 (BJP: 236, BPF: 1, JD(U)+LJP: 20, Shiv Sena: 15, NPP: 1, NDPP: 1, SAD: 1, SPM: 1, AIADMK+: 10, Apna Dal: 1)

Neta-News X: NDA 242, UPA 164, Others 136

News 18-IPSOS: NDA 332, UPA 82, Others 127

ABP-Nielsen:  NDA 267, UPA 127, others 148; (BJP 218, Congress 81)

India Today-Axis My India: NDA 339-365, UPA 77-108, Others 69-95

In the crucial state of Uttar Pradesh which gives 80 seats to the Lok Sabha, News18-IPSOS gave NDA a high of 60 seats while ABP-CSDS gave the saffron party and its allies a low of 22 seats.

ABP-CSDS: NDA 22, MGB 56, UPA/others 2

Republic-C Voter: NDA 38, MGB 40, UPA/others 2

Republic-Jan Ki Baat: NDA 46-57, MGB 21-32, UPA/others 2-4

Times Now VMR: NDA 58, MGB 20, UPA/others 2

News18-IPSOS: NDA 60-62, MGB 17-19, UPA/others 1-2

NewsX-Neta: NDA 33, MGB 42, UPA/others 5

The actual results will be counted and declared on May 23.