The Hindu : Front Page : BJP poised to retain power but with reduced majority: exit polls

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Monday, Dec 17, 2007
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BJP poised to retain power but with reduced majority: exit polls

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party is poised to retain power in Gujarat but with a reduced majority, losing some ground in Sunday’s second and final phase of the Assembly elections in the northern and central parts, which were the worst hit by the 2002 communal riots, according to exit polls by four TV channels.

With the winning party required to get 92 of the 182 seats, the NDTV exit poll projected that the BJP would win between 90 and 110. The BJP won 127 seats in 2002.

The Congress’ share was put at somewhere between 70 and 95. Others had three to five seats.

The CNN-IBN-CSDS exit poll gave the BJP 92 to 100 seats with the Congress notching somewhere between 77 and 85. Others were given three to seven seats.

The exit poll of Star News-Nielsen saw the BJP getting 103, losing about 24 seats, 18 of which from central and northern Gujarat. In the last elections in these regions, the party swept 73 of the 95 seats. The Congress might get 76 seats, a gain of 25.

Zee News and C-Voter projected the BJP getting 93 to 104 seats, followed by the Congress at 75 to 87 seats.

It gave a vote share of about 48 per cent to the BJP and 45 per cent to the Congress while the Star News exit poll predicted the BJP would get 46.5 per cent votes while for the Congress, it would be 43.5 per cent.

The Star News exit poll projected 55 and 39 seats for the BJP and the Congress respectively in Sunday’s phase of polls.

The CNN-IBN exit poll gave the Congress an edge in Central Gujarat and a near cake-walk for the BJP in North Gujarat. — PTI

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