Exit Polls Give BJP The Thumbs-Up



Set To Form Govt In M'rashtra & Haryana, But Not All Projections Give It Clear Majority Sena May Finish 2nd, Cong 3rd, MNS To Fare Worse Than In 2009

BJP will form the next government in both Maharashtra and Haryana, exit polls predicted on Wednesday . The only thing they did not agree on was whether the party would win a clear majority on its own. If the polls are proved right, it will validate BJP's bold gamble in going it alone in both states, as well as its focus on a Narendra Modi-centred campaign that dwelt more on governance issues than on the communal rhetoric often associated with the saffron party .

Of the four exit polls that made projections for Maharashtra, one--by Today's Chanakya--gave BJP 151 seats or a clear majority in the 288member assembly . Another, done by AC Nielsen for ABP News, predicted that the par ty would just hit the half-way mark of 144. The CVoter poll conducted for Times Now gave BJP 138 seats and the Cicero poll for the India Today group gave it 124. According to the latter two, while BJP would need some support from others, it should hardly find that a problem.

Interestingly , Shiv Sena too is not seen as a major loser, at least in terms of seats, from the break-up of the 25-yearold alliance with BJP . All the polls agreed that it would finish second and improve significantly on its 2009 tally of 44 seats, though the numbers varied from 59 to 77. Three of the four polls put Congress in third spot, just a little ahead of NCP , while one had it the other way round. MNS would get fewer than the 13 seats it won in 2009, all polls said.

In Haryana, which recorded an all-time high turnout of 73%, only three polls made predictions. Two of them gave BJP a clear majority, while the third had it hitting the half-way mark. The ABP News poll suggested BJP will win 54 seats in the 90-member House, Chanakya 52 and CVoter 45. If any of these comes true, BJP will comfortably form the government in the state.

Modi's popularity still a vote-catcher?

PM Narendra Modi's dominance looks set to be entrenched with exit polls indicating that BJP chief Amit Shah's gamble of going it alone in Maharashtra and Haryana may have paid off.The gains indicated suggest continuing popularity of Modi and his message of development and probity. P 14