Chennai: The whole country is eagerly waiting to know the results of Assembly elections held in five States- Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand and Manipur- ahead of the counting of votes on Thursday (10 March).
Several exit polls predicted a clear majority for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh and the AAP in Punjab while being mixed in their forecast for Uttarakhand, currently ruled by BJP.
The Assembly elections in five States concluded on 7 March with the voting in the seventh and final phase of Uttar Pradesh. The results of the elections in the five States will be announced on 10 March.
During the elections, 403 seats in Uttar Pradesh had gone to polls in seven phases. On the other hand, Goa has a 40 assembly seats while Uttarakhand has 70 seats. Punjab also voted for 117 seats while elections in Manipur very held in two phases in 60 seats.
Soon after the predictions were published, activist Yogendra Yadav, one of co-founders of AAP, congratulated Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Taking to Twitter, Yogendra Yadav, who is also a psephologist, said that the exit polls clearly indicate a ‘thumping majority’ for AAP in Punjab.
BJP leader Amit Malviya said it would be for the first time since Independence that a chief minister would complete a full term and get re-elected in Uttar Pradesh. ‘Also for the first time in 37 years, since 1985, BJP would be the only party to get re-elected. Irrespective of seats, it would be phenomenal,’ Malviya wrote on Twitter.
BJP president JP Nadda on Monday sought blessings of Goddess Vaishnodevi ahead of counting votes in five states that went to assembly polls.
Nadda, accompanied by Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh, arrived at a rousing reception outside the airport and also at Katra.
Exit polls are predictions made by media organizations using random or systematic sampling methods that predict election winners before the results are released.
Predictions are typically based on questions posed to voters, such as which party they voted for and why. After taking the response, the organisations decode the political trend to get a good idea of which party or candidate is likely to win from which constituency.