Cong seen to lose 11% vote share in Punjab, AAP to gain 15% to form govt

New Delhi, March 7 (IANS) The Punjab experiment of the Congress seemed to have failed, as per the ABP/C-Voter exit poll, with the last minute change in the leadership bringing its citadel down, while the AAP has gained more than 15 per cent votes over the last elections and is likely to form the government in the state.

In 2017, the Aam Aadmi Party had got around 23 per cent votes but the projections for this election is 39 per cent, while Congress seems to have lost around 11 per cent votes, against in last election's over 38 per cent now, to around 26 per cent and may see its tally come down from 77 seats to 25 seats.

But the surprising predictions are for the Shiromani Akali Dal, which fought in alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party, and may see its vote percentage come down from 25 per cent to 20 per cent but seats may rise to 23 from 15 in 2017, while the BJP may also win nine seats.

According to the exit poll projections, the AAP will oust another Congress government, after Delhi in 2013, winning 51-61 seats in the 117-seat Punjab Assembly.

The Bharatiya Janata Party's alliance with the newly-formed Punjab Lok Congress party of foe-turned-friend Capt Amarinder Singh might be able to secure only 10 seats in these elections.

Punjab has three regions -- Doaba, Malwa, and Majha.

According to the exit poll survey, of the 23 seats in the Doaba region -- a tie is expected between Congress and AAP with each securing 7 while the SAD may get 5 and the BJP 3.

The SAD might outrun all its rivals by securing 8 of the 25 seats in the Majha region, while the Congress is expected to get 7 seats, the AAP 6, and the BJP 4.

The third and most important Malwa region, with 69 seats, might turn the tables in Punjab as, according to the exit poll, it might see the AAP winning 43 seats, while the Congress might get 11 and SAD 10 seats, and while BJP might have to settle with only 3.