Exit polls for a fresh round of state elections suggest BJP could be poised to form the next government in Jharkhand, while People's Democratic Party could come tantalizingly close to regaining power in J-K.
The exit polls were nearly unanimous in predicting an outright win for BJP in Jharkhand, which will mark the first instance of a party getting a majority on its own steam since the formation of the resource-rich state in 2000.
In J-K, PDP was far ahead of its rivals, but it may end up 5-12 seats short of the majority mark in the 87 member assembly . In case Mufti Mohammad Sayeed's party fails to win the majority , it could look forward to support from a much-diminished Congress which was part of the outgoing coalition with National Conference. BJP , which ran a strong campaign and made a serious bid to snatch a few seats in the Muslim-majority Valley , could emerge with between 25 and 30 seats in J-K because of its likely sweep of Hindu-dominated regions in Jammu, exit polls have said. Pollsters were unanimous that the saffron party will, for the first time, get to play the opposition in the Muslim-majority border state which, because of its autonomy , occupies a very important place in nationalist narrative.The ruling National Conference is headed for a rout.
The trend underlines the consolidation of BJP's political domination since the Lok Sabha polls under PM Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah. A win for it in Jharkhand and Jammu will represent yet another chance where it has trumped Congress which continues to slide. Exit polls pointed to a possible tally of 3-7 seats in Jharkhand and 4-10 in J-K for Congress. While this could still help the party play kingmaker in J-K, a share in power with a different partner can hardly conceal the diminution of the party .
The results will set the tone for the elections in Delhi where BJP aims to score a majority which eluded it in last year's assembly elections.
Exit polls on Saturday predicted a near complete victory for the BJP and its alliance in Jharkhand and a hung Assembly with upper hand for the PDP in Jammu and Kashmir. Soon after polling concluded for the fifth and final phase with record turnouts (76% turnout in the last phase in J&K; 66% overall), most private news channels published varied exit polls for both states that revealed a broad pattern of results that could be expected on December 23, the counting day. While both the C Voter poll for News X and Axis-APM for CNN-IBN predicted a huge jump in vote share and number of seats for Mufti Mohammad Sayeed-led People's Democratic Party in J&K, the BJP's expected rise was not enough to form a government on its own, though that party will emerge as the second largest party. The CSDS' poll on perception of voter preference for the post of J&K CM was topped by PDP's Mufti Mohammad Sayeed at 34%.
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