Today’s Chanakya predicts clear majority for BJP in Bengal

Today's Chanakya exit poll projects a clear majority for Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal with around 192 seats, ahead of Trinamool Congress, though most other polls indicate a closer contest before May 4 results

Kolkata: Poll psephology entity Today’s Chanakya on Thursday released its exit poll projections for the two-phase Assembly elections in West Bengal, predicting a clear majority for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) this time, potentially ending the 15-year Trinamool Congress rule in the eastern state since 2011.

As per the exit poll predictions of Today’s Chanakya, BJP candidates are expected to win from 192 Assembly constituencies (plus/minus 11) in the 294-seat West Bengal Assembly.

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On the other hand, as per the same set of predictions, the victory of the ruling Trinamool Congress candidates has been projected at 100 seats (plus/minus 11).

As per the predictions of Today’s Chanakya, the combined tally of others, including the Congress and the Left Front–All India Secular Front alliance, will range between zero and two seats.

As far as percentage vote share is concerned, the BJP’s vote share in the just concluded West Bengal Assembly elections is projected to be around 48 per cent (plus/minus three), while that of the Trinamool Congress is projected at 38 per cent (plus/minus three). The percentage vote share for others, as per the predictions of Today’s Chanakya, will be around 14 per cent (plus/minus three).

On Wednesday, after the second phase of the two-phase West Bengal Assembly polls was concluded, a number of poll and psephology entities came out with their respective exit poll predictions.

Barring two, as reported by IANS on Wednesday, almost all the other exit poll reports predicted a victory for the BJP and the end of the Trinamool Congress regime.

However, most of the agencies that came out with their projections on Wednesday said that there would be a neck-and-neck contest between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress.

In that sense, Today’s Chanakya, along with the Praja Polls survey, are among the only two agencies that have predicted a clear majority for the BJP.

Praja Polls placed the BJP well ahead with a projected tally between 178 and 208 seats, followed by the Trinamool Congress between 85 and 110 seats, and others between two and three seats.

The two-phase Assembly election in West Bengal this time was conducted on April 23 and April 29. The results will be declared on May 4.