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Exit polls at the end of polling for the final round of Lok Sabha elections predicted a third term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi with most pollsters placing the BJP-led NDA far above the half-way mark of 272 in the 543-member Lower House and the opposition INDIA bloc falling way short of majority.
A majority of the polls gave the BJP-led NDA over 300 seats. An average of seven polls gave the BJP alone about 311 seats and placed the NDA at 361 seats. This poll gives INDIA bloc 145 seats. Times Now-ETG gave NDA 358 seats and INDIA bloc 152 seats. ABP News-C-Voter poll predicted 353-383 seats for the NDA and 152-182 seats to INDIA bloc.
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In the politically most crucial State of Uttar Pradesh, ABP News-C-Voter predicted that the BJP is coming down from its current 62 seats to 52-57 seats. It gave the INDIA bloc 17-22 seats. Meanwhile, Times Now-ETG gave the BJP 69 seats and INDIA bloc a mere 11 seats in UP.
Gaining foothold
The BJP was projected to make major inroads in West Bengal, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. Axis My India-India Today poll gave the BJP a 51 per cent vote share in Odisha which would translate into 18-20 out of total 21 seats for the saffron party. In Andhra Pradesh, the same poll showed that the BJP’s alliance with the TDP was yielding dividends with the coalition projected to win 17-21 seats in the State. In West Bengal, too, the BJP was predicted to make massive gains with at least three pollsters predicting that the party will win between 21 and 26 seats and Trinamool Congress will fall behind with 16-21 seats.
The ruling BJP was predicted to continue to sweep all the 26 seats in the PM’s home State of Gujarat. Axis My India-India Today poll predicted 25-26 seats for the BJP in Gujarat as did the VMR poll. The neighbouring State of Madhya Pradesh, too, seemed to be going the Gujarat way with most pollsters predicting that barring one or two seats, the BJP will hold sway in most of the 29 seats in the State.
The BJP had a reason to smile in the South as well with the pollsters predicting that its vote share will go up in Tamil Nadu and Kerala and the party will even win a few seats. Today’s Chanakya-News 24 poll gave the BJP and its allies as many as ten seats plus or minus four seats in Tamil Nadu. This poll predicted that DMK and its allies will get about 29 seats. Axis My India poll gave the BJP 1-3 seats in Tamil Nadu. In Kerala, Today’s Chanakya gave the BJP and its allies four seats.
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