Assembly Elections 2017: Who's Winning Punjab, UP? Here's What Exit Polls Show

In Punjab, India Today-Axis exit poll predicted 62-71 seats for the Congress in 117-member assembly, a comfortable majority, and 42-51 to Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP.

 

The Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP combine was projected to be decimated in the state which it has ruled for a decade.

 

All polls showed the alliance getting reduced to a single digit tally. However, India TV-C Voter projected 59-67 seats for debutante AAP and 41-49 for the Congress. India News-MRC and News 24-Chanakya forecast a dead heat by giving 55 and 54 seats each to both parties.

 

NDTV forecast 55 seats for the Congress in Punjab, closely followed by the AAP with 54 seats. The incumbent Akali Dal-BJP alliance was predicted staring at a virtual decimation with only 7 seats in the 117-member assembly.

 

The picture for Uttar Pradesh is clear - the BJP is ahead, based on an aggregate of the polls. 

 

The surveys predicted BJP’s win in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand, while Congress is expected to stage a comeback in Punjab. 

 

Today’s Chanakya which got its prediction right after the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and subsequent Assembly polls, has given 285 seats to the BJP, 88 seats to the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance and just 27 seats to Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party.

 

The India Today Axis exit poll predicted 185 seats, little short of the majority, for BJP in Uttar Pradesh followed by Samajwadi party-Congress alliance at 120 seats and BSP at 90 seats. As per India TV, the saffron party is expected to win 155 to 167 seats in Uttar Pradesh, while SP-Congress alliance is likley to win 135 to 147 seats follwoed by BSP with 81 to 93 seats.

 

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav told BBC Hindi that he cannot rule out seeking a partnership with Mayawati, if his alliance with the Congress falls short. "I have always treated the BSP (Mayawati's party) with respect, so it's natural for people to assume we may seek her help. It's difficult to say at this point. I am confident the Congress-SP alliance will win...but look, nobody wants President's Rule, the BJP to run Uttar Pradesh by remote control."

 

 

BJP PROJECTED TO WIN UTTARAKHAND, SAY ALL EXIT POLLS

 

 

The BJP was projected to win Uttarakhand assembly polls by various exit polls on Thursday with projections ranging from 35 to 53 seats for the party in the 70-member house.

 

The News 24-Today's Chanakya poll gave the Bharatiya Janata Party 53 seats, the ruling Congress 15 and others two in the hill state.

 

 

India Today-Axis poll predicted that BJP would get 46-53 seats, the Congress 12-21, and others 2-6 seats.

 

India News-MRC exit poll projected 38 seats for the BJP, 30 for the Congress, two for others. 

 

India TV-Cvoter predicted that both the BJP and the Congress had a similar chance at forming the government in the state and projected 29-35 seats for both parties each. It projected two to nine seats for others. 

 

The poll of polls done by CNN-News18 projected the BJP to be getting 38 seats, the Congress 26 and others six, and a similar exercise by NDTV projected the BJP getting 43 seats and the Congress 23 in the hill state.

 

 

Exit polls were telecast on Thursday evening after the balloting ended on a seat each in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, which polls were earlier countermanded following deaths of candidates. 

 

Five states -- Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa and Manipur -- witnessed assembly polls in February-March. The counting of votes will take place on Saturday.