A number of exit polls on Thursday predicted a comfortable win for the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Assembly elections in both Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. All the exit polls showed the BJP far ahead of the Congress and above the majority mark in both assemblies.
An average of the exit polls predicted a win from 117 of the 182 seats for the BJP in the Gujarat Assembly and 64 for the Congress. A poll of polls projected a 47-20 seat share in favour of the saffron party in the 68-seat Himachal Pradesh Assembly.
The official results will be declared on Monday.
Gujarat
An exit poll by Times Now-VMR predicts a win for the BJP with 113 seats and 66 seats for the Congress. The Republic-CVoter exit polls projects 108 seats for the BJP and 74 for the Congress.
The NewsX-CNX exit polls shows a BJP victory with 115 seats and 70 for the Congress. ABP-CSDS projects a 117-seat win for the BJP and 64 for the Congress. Today’s Chanakya projects 135 seats for the BJP and only 47 for the Congress.
The second and final phase of the Gujarat elections were held on Thursday, with a 68.70% voter turnout. The first phase of the elections to 89 seats in Gujarat was held on December 9, with a 68% voter turnout. Polling was marred by reports of malfunctioning electronic voting machines.
Himachal Pradesh
The India Today-Axis My India exit poll forecast a BJP win in the northern state with 47 to 55 seats in the Assembly and only 13 to 20 for the Congress. The Times Now-VMR exit poll also predicts a saffron party victory with 51 seats and only 17 for the Congress.
The exit poll by Republic-CVoter projects a BJP win from 41 constituencies and 25 for the Congress. The Today’s Chanakya exit polls on the Himachal Pradesh elections predicts 55 seats for the BJP and 13 for the Congress. ABP-CSDS projects a 49-seat win for the BJP and 41 for the Congress.
The state voted for candidates from 68 constituencies on November 9, with a record turnout of 74%. The Congress had fielded incumbent Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh for the post once again. He went up against the BJP’s Prem Kumar Dhumal.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!