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Exit polls of five states that went to polls in February-March 2022 have predicted that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to retain power in Uttar Pradesh while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) could see a sweeping victory in Punjab.
The polling in five states concluded on Monday, 7 March, with the voting for the seventh and last phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections coming to an end.
The counting of votes for all five states will be held on 10 March.
Uttar Pradesh: What Are the Predictions?
The Samajwadi Party (SP)-Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) alliance and the Congress have been dubbed as key players in the state, besides the incumbent BJP.
As per the Times Now-Veto exit polls, the BJP is predicted to retain power in UP. The saffron party is slated to win 225 seats in the state, which is nearly a 100 fewer than its tally in the 2017 elections.
Meanwhile, India Today-Axis My India has predicted a sweep (288-326 seats) by the BJP and their allies in the state.
News24-Today’s Chanakya has also predicted a big win for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh. According to the exit polls,BJP and allies are likely to garner 294 (±19) seats.
As per Zee News-DesignBoxed as well, the BJP is predicted to win the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, garnering 223-248 seats. Meanwhile, the SP is expected to win 138-157 seats, the BSP 5-11 seats, the Congress 4-9 seats and others 3-5 seats.
The ABP-CVoter survey also has predicted a win for the BJP, but with fewer seats than projected by India Today and News24. As per ABP-CVoter projections, the BJP and its allies are projected to win 228-244 seats.
The state Assembly has 403 seats and 202 are needed to form a majority government.
Which Way Will Punjab Swing?
Punjab, which went to polls on 20 February, saw six parties and a number of independent candidates in the fray with the Congress, the AAP, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), the Punjab Lok Congress, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerging as key players.
Punjab has a total of 117 Assembly seats, of which 59 need to be won by a party to form majority.
In Punjab, the AAP is projected to win 76-90 seats, while the Congress is likely to win 19-31, as per the India Today-India My Axis exit poll results.
As per the Times Now-VETO exit poll, the AAP is projected to win by a large mandate of 70 seats in Punjab. The Congress is expected to win 22 seats, while the SAD may win 19 seats, as per the survey.
Meanwhile, as per the Zee News-DesignBoxed exit polls, the AAP may form a majority with 52-61 seats in Punjab. The Congress is projected to get 26-33 seats, while the SAD is forecasted to win 24-32 seats.
The AAP is expected to win 51-61 seats in Punjab, the ABP-CVoter exit poll survey has predicted, while its contender, the Congress, is forecasted to attain 22-28 seats.
Which Way Will Uttarakhand Go?
Held on 14 February, the Uttarakhand Assembly elections saw a 62.5 percent voter turnout across the 13 districts. The votes will be counted on 10 March.
632 candidates were in the fray across the state's 70 constituencies.
Times Now-Veto projected a BJP majority with the party winning 37 out of 70 seats, while the ABP-CVoter projections indicated that the Congress may grab 32-38 seats.
Meanwhile, Zee News-Designboxed predicted 35-40 seats for the Congress.
News24-Today's Chanakya predicted a clear majority for the BJP, with 43 seats going to the saffron party. Meanwhile, the polling agency projected 24 seats for the Congress and three for other parties.
India Today-Axis My India has predicted a BJP majority with 36-46 seats.
Will BJP Return to Power in Manipur?
In Manipur, a total of 60 seats were in the fray, with Congress and the BJP locking heads. The voter turnout during the first phase was 88.63 percent and a 78.49 percent turnout was recorded in the second phase.
The Zee News-Designboxed exit poll predicted that the BJP could return to power in Manipur, with the party likely to win 33-37 seats in the Assembly elections. The Congress is predicted to win 12-17 seats, as per the channel's exit poll.
The India Today-Axis My India survey too predicted that the BJP may win 33-43 seats, while Congress could win 4-8 seats.
Who Will Win Goa?
Voting for Goa polls was held on Monday, 14 February, with the state witnessing a 78.94 percent voter turnout for the 40 seats across the state.
According to the Zee News-Designboxed exit poll survey, the Congress is likely to emerge as the single-largest party in the elections in the state with 14-19 seats. The BJP, meanwhile, may win 13-18 seats, and the AAP could bag 1-3 seats.
The Times Now-Veto survey, meanwhile, predicted that the Congress could be the single-largest party with 16 seats. The BJP and the AAP could win 14 and four seats respectively.
The India Today-Axis My India also predicted the Congress to be the leading party with 15-20 seats, with the BJP slated to win 14-18 seats. The TMC is likely to win 2-5 seats, the survey said.
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