With the conclusion of the seventh and the last phase of Lok Sabha elections, attention has now shifted to Exit polls.
Who will form the next government? Will the BJP be able to cross the 400-mark? How many seats will the INDI Alliance win? Exit polls have the answer to these questions.
They give a fair idea of a particular party’s performance in the elections and are based on interviews of voters. They are conducted by several organisations that survey people as soon as they cast their votes.
The Lok Sabha elections, which culminated on June 1 with the seventh phase, covered 543 constituencies spanning all the states and Union Territories.
The ruling NDA and Opposition alliance INDIA put up a tough fight during the polls with both BJP and Congress exuding confidence over their win in the Lok Sabha elections.
As we approach June 4, here’s a look at what the exit polls say about the fate of parties in Gujarat, Goa, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
Gujarat
Of the 26 seats in Gujarat, the BJP is expected to sweep all the 26 seats, according to News 18 exit poll.
The western state of Gujarat, a stronghold of BJP, has 26 seats. The state went to polls on May 7 during the third phase of elections.
Meanwhile, BJP claimed its very first victory in Surat before polling even began in Gujarat after the party’s candidate won the seat unopposed.
BJP’s Mukesh Dalal was declared the winner as eight out of nine candidates withdrew their nominations.
The state recorded a voter turnout of 60.13 per cent. The key candidates included Amit Shah from Gandhinagar (BJP), Mansukh Mandaviya from Porbandar (BJP), Amitbhai Chavda from Anand (Congress), CR Paatil from Navsari (BJP), Lalitbhai Vasoya from Porbandar (Congress).
In 2019, the saffron party won all the 26 seats in Gujarat.
Goa
Of Goa’s two seats, the BJP and Congress are expected to win one seat each, according to News 18 exit poll.
Goa, the coastal state located in western India, has just two seats but both hold importance for political parties.
The state went to polls during the third phase of elections on May 3.
Goa recorded a voter turnout of 76.06 per cent. The key candidates included Ramakant Khalap from North Goa (Congress) and Pallavi Shrinivas Dempo from South Goa (BJP).
In 2019, the North Goa seat was won by BJP while Congress clinched the South Goa seat.
Maharashtra
Of the 48 seats in Maharashtra, the BJP-led NDA is expected to win 32-25 seats and the INDIA bloc is expected to win 15-18 seats, as per News 18 exit poll.
Among the NDA, the BJP is expected to win 20-23 seats and other partners are expected to win 12 seats.
Among the INDIA bloc, the Congress is expected to win six to nine seats and other parties are expected to win nine seats.
The state of Maharashtra has 48 seats. Currently, Maharashtra is ruled by a Shiv Sena-BJP alliance. The political situation in the western state started to shake up when Chief Minister Eknath Shinde left the Balasaheb Thackeray-founded party to join hands with the BJP.
Maharashtra saw another significant change in its politics after NCP-SP Chief Sharad Pawar’s nephew Ajit Pawar joined the saffron party as the state’s deputy chief minister.
Since then, Maharashtra has become an important political ground as all three parties, BJP, NCP-SP and Shiv Sena try to hold their position in the state.
Maharashtra went to polls in five phases and the fifth phase recorded a 56.89 per cent voter turnout.
The key candidates were Supriya Sule from Baramati (NCP Sharad Pawar), Nitin Gadkari from Nagpur (BJP), Narayan Rane from Ratnagiri-Sindhurg (BJP) and Piyush Goyal from Mumbai North (BJP).
In 2019, the saffron party won 25 seats while NCP won four.
Rajasthan
Of the 25 seats in Rajasthan, the BJP is expected to win 18-23 seats and the Congress is expected to win two to seven seats, as per the News 18 exit poll.
The state was a battleground between BJP and Congress, with the saffron party recently winning the state elections.
The state went to polls in the first two phases, April 19 and April 26. Rajasthan recorded a voter turnout of 65.03 per cent in phase 2.
The key candidates were Mahendra Jeet Malviya from Banswara (BJP), Kailash Choudhary from Barmer (BJP), Gajendra Singh Shekhawat from Jodhpur (BJP), Ram Chandra Choudhary from Ajmer (Congress).
In 2019, the saffron party won 24 seats in Rajasthan.
Madhya Pradesh
Of the 29 seats in Madhya Pradesh, the BJP is expected to sweep with 26-29 seats and the Congress is expected to get zero to three seats, as per News 18 exit poll.
The Hindi heartland state recently saw the BJP win polls in the state legislative elections.
Elections were conducted in the state in four phases from April 19 to May 13. Madhya Pradesh, in its fourth phase, recorded a voter turnout of 72.05 per cent.
The key candidates were Shivraj Singh Chouhan from Vidisha (BJP), Jyotiraditya Scindia from Guna (BJP), Digvijaya Singh from Rajgarh (Congress), Satyapal Singh Sikarwar from Morena (Congress).
In 2019, BJP won 28 seats while won 1.
Chhattisgarh
Of the 11 seats in Chhattisgarh, the BJP is expected to win 9-11 seats and the INDIA bloc of Opposition parties is expected to win zero to two seats, as per News 18 exit poll.
Another Hindi heartland, Chhattisgarh has 11 Lok Sabha seats. The state went to polls in three phases from April 19 to May 7.
BJP clinched the state in the assembly elections.
Chhattisgarh recorded a voter turnout of 71.98% in the third phase of polling. The key candidates were Chintamani Maharaj from Sarguja (BJP), Jyotsna Mahant from Korba (Congress), Vijay Baghel from Durg (BJP).
In 2019, the BJP won nine seats while the Congress won two.
Link to article –
Exit Poll 2024: Which way Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Rajasthan, MP & Chhattisgarh are likely to go
