New Delhi: Almost all exit polls on Thursday predicted that the BJP is heading for a comfortable victory in both Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. Though the Congress will increase its vote share, it will not translate into seats according to the polls, which were released soon after voting ended in 93 seats under the second and final phase of election in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state.
While three exit polls predicted that in Gujarat the BJP will get more than 115 seats it bagged in 2012, the rest said that the ruling party will comfortably cross the magic mark of 92 and score over 100 in the 182-member Assembly.
In the 2012 Assembly polls in Gujarat, the BJP had won 115 seats, the Congress 61 and others six. However, during the Rajya Sabha elections in August this year, the Congress could manage to hold on to only 42-44 MLAs while the rest switched sides to support the BJP or quit the party.
Despite the setback, the Congress had mounted a tough challenge to the BJP by stitching alliances with Hardik Patel-led Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti, dalit activist Jignesh Mevani and OBC leader Alpesh Thakore.
The BJP relied on the Prime Minister as it chief campaigner. Gujarat Assembly polls are being seen as a litmus test for both Mr Modi and Rahul Gandhi who was recently elevated to the post of Congress president. Both the leaders did extensive campaigning in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.
Going by the exit poll results, it seems the Congress wasn’t able to counter the Prime Minister’s charisma as well as turn the crowds at Mr Gandhi's rallies into votes.
It was the same story in Himachal Pradesh. Today’s Chanakya predicted 55 seats for the BJP and 13 for the Congress.
Exit polls say Modi’s charisma intact
Going by the exit poll results, the Congress wasn’t able to counter Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s charisma as well as turn the crowds at Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi’s rally into votes at the ground level.
It was a repeat of the same story in Himachal Pradesh. Today’s Chanakya predicted 55 seats for BJP and 13 for Congress, CSDS-ABP (BJP-38 and Congress- 29), Axis (BJP-47-50, Congress-13-20), VMR (51-17), C Voter (BJP-41, Congress 25) VDPA (BJP-56, Congress-10 and CNX (BJP-46, Congress -21)
Himachal Pradesh had a Congress government and it has never returned the same regime twice. The state also witnessed a high voting percentage which traditionally has shown anti-incumbency.
In 2012, the Indian National Congress party came to power in Himachal Pradesh when it won 36 of the 68 seats in the state Assembly.
Touted as the curtain raiser for the 2019 general elections, the Assembly polls to the two states had seen an often bitter campaign. A public spat between Mr Modi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh over his attending a dinner at Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar’s House had been the high point of the campaign.
