Exit polls project close race in West Bengal, put ruling BJP ahead in Assam

Exit polls on Thursday forecast a tight contest between the incumbent Trinamool Congress and the BJP in the high-profile West Bengal Assembly polls and put the saffron combine ahead in Assam, while projecting a win for the ruling Left alliance in Kerala and for the DMK-led opposition in Tamil Nadu.

The exit poll numbers were largely a setback for the Congress, which while falling short in Assam and Kerala may also lose its government in the union territory of Puducherry to the opposition alliance of AINRC-BJP-AIADMK.

Exit polls were, however, divided in their forecast for the West Bengal polls, where the BJP ran a high-octane campaign in its bid to capture power in the state for the first time and end Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's 10-year old reign.

India Today-Axis My India predicted a neck-and-neck contest in West Bengal, giving the BJP 134-160 and the TMC 130-156 seats. Republic-CNX polls gave the BJP a slight edge by protecting 138-148 seats for the party in the 294-seat Assembly and 128-138 to the TMC.

However, Times Now-C Voter predicted a clear majority for the TMC by projecting 158 seats for the party and 115 for the BJP. Jan Ki Baat exit polls, however, predicted a strong majority for the BJP in West Bengal, giving it 162-185 seats, against 104-121 to the ruling TMC.

The TMC had won 211 seats in 2016 and the BJP only three in the 294-member West Bengal Assembly. The Left-Congress alliance was forecast to be further marginalised in the fiercely bipolar contest.

In Assam, India Today-Axis My India predicted 75-85 seats for the BJP-led combine in the 126-member Assembly and 40-50 to the Congress-led opposition.

Today's Chanakya predicted 61-79 seats for the saffron alliance and 47-65 for the Congress-led opposition in Assam. Republic-CNX gave the ruling saffron alliance 74-84 and the opposition 40-50, while Times Now-C Voter gave them 65 and 59 seats respectively.

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