The exit polls for the Assembly elections held in five states across the country recently predcited a victory for Bharatiya Janata Party in Congress-ruled Assam and a downfall for Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. The AIADMK is projected to lose the elections to DMK-Congress alliance in Tamil Nadu. While Mamata Banerjee is likely to retain her seat in West Bengal, Kerala might see a Left Front government and Puducherry a Congress.
Tamil Nadu
Of the five exit polls, four predicted a victory for the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu after a term of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).
The number of seats predicted for DMK by India Today was 132 seats, News Nation 116, C Voter 78, News X 140 and ABP Nielsen 132, according to NDTV. For AIADMK, India Today predicted victory in 95 seats, News Nation 97, C Voter 139, News X 90 and ABP Nielsen 95.
The average poll for all the exit polls shows AIADMK winning only 103 of the 234 seats in Tamil Nadu, while DMK gets 120 seats. The BJP, however, failed to make its presence felt in the state as India Today and ABP Nielsen predict it will win only 1 seat.
Assam
The BJP looks to dethrone Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, who ruled the state for three consecutive terms. The winning party, according to the exit polls, has projected Union Minister for Sports & Youth Affairs Sarbananda Sonowal as the presumptive chief minister, according to another NDTV report.
All the five exit polls have predicted victory for the BJP in Assam and grabbing more than 53 seats — about 93 seats, while the Congress would get between 26 and 49 seats. The average of all the polls shows 73 seats for the BJP, 37 for the Congress and 12 for the Assam United Democratic Front (AUDF).
West Bengal
West Bengal, which was ruled by the All India Trinamool Congress or TMC since Mamata Banerjee assumed the position of the chief minister in 2011, has been projected to deal a major blow to the BJP, which was hoping to gain a foothold in the state this year. The polls predicted 1-14 seats for the BJP, while the average shows only 5.
The TMC has been projected to win the elections in 294-seat Assembly with 163-243 seats, while the Left and the Congress alliance would together get 45-136 seats. The average seat sharing for the Left-Congress alliance and TMC is 103 and 184, respectively.
Kerala
The recent incidents of crime, including rape and brutal murder of a 27-year-old woman in Ernakulam, looks to have played a major role in causing damage to the Congress this Assembly elections.
In the 140-seat Assembly in Kerala, the Congress-led UDF coalition has been projected to get between 43-70 seats, while LDF or Left Democratic Party will win with 69-94 seats. The average of the polls shows 79 seats for LDF and 57 for UDF, while the BJP gets only 3 seats.
Puduchery
The exit polls predicted a victory for the DMK-Congress alliance with 16 seats in the 40-seat Assembly in Puducherry. The All India NR Congress or NRC might win 10 seats, while AIADMK might get only 3.
The counting of the votes will commence on May 19.
