The Hindu : National : Exit polls indicate Left sweep in first phase

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Tuesday, Apr 18, 2006

National

National

Exit polls indicate Left sweep in first phase

Regional news channels expect it to repeat its performance

Kolkata: The Left Front is all set to sweep the first phase of the polls held on Monday for 45 seats in three districts of West Bengal, according to the exit polls of three 24-hour regional news channels.

Elections were held for three districts — Paschim Medinipur, Purulia and Bankura — where the front was expected to do exceedingly well in a repeat of its show in the past Assembly elections.

According to Star-Ananda, the Left Front would bag 42 of the 45 seats. The remaining three seats would be shared by the Congress, Trinamool Congress and Independents.

Kolkata TV, another Bengali news channel, predicted 38 seats in favour of the Left Front. It gave three seats each to the Trinamool Congress and Congress, and one to the others. Its first exit poll at 2 p.m. had shown 40 seats in favour of the Left Front and five to others. But the picture changed in the second exit poll it flashed at 6 p.m.

Chobbis Ghonta said the Left was likely to bag all 13 seats in Bankura district. In Paschim Medinipur, the Left Front was expected to get 18 of the 21 seats. The Trinamool Congress, the channel said, would bag two and the Congress one.

In Purulia, the Left Front was likely to lose two seats and bag seven, while the Congress and Trinamool Congress would get two seats each.

The Left Front was expected to get 38 seats, the Trinamool Congress four and the Congress three.

However, all the channels warned of a one to two per cent swing either way as exit polls were never foolproof. — UNI

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