The municipal corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections are done and dusted, with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) emerging victorious on Wednesday as exit polls had suggested, though the outgoing BJP put up a stronger fight than predicted.
AAP’s promises of cleaning up corruption and garbage seemingly trumped the Bharatiya Janata Party’s star-studded campaign replete with national themes. According to poll dataArvind Kejriwal’s party, which is in power in Delhi, picked up 134 MCD wards, the BJP bagged 104, while the Congress was reduced to a mere 9, with Others netting 3.
Now the focus shifts to the high-stakes Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh elections, with the counting of votes on Thursday. After ceding control of the MCD, the BJP will be eager to maintain its grip on the reins of the two states. Exit poll results are in its favour, though the hill state promises a possible cliffhanger.
A Republic TV-P MARQ survey has predicted 128-148 seats for the BJP in Gujarat. The Congress-NCP combine is expected to win 30-42 seats, down from the 77 last time. The Aam Aadmi Party, which failed to win any seat in 2018, is predicted to win 2-10 seats.
According to the Newsx-Jan Ki Baat exit poll, the BJP will get 117-140 seats in Gujarat, the Congress 34-51, and AAP 6-13.
TV9 Gujarati predicted 125-130 seats for the BJP, 40-50 for the Congress, and 3-5 seats for AAP.
The Times Now Navbharat ETG exit poll said the BJP is expected to get about 131 seats, the Congress 41, AAP 6, with Others bagging 4 seats.
In the run-up to the 2024 elections, winning a seventh consecutive term in Gujarat — Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state — is seen as crucial for the BJP by many observers. The party, which has been ruling the state since 1995, held a high-decibel campaign led by the PM.
BJP leaders, including union home minister Amit Shah, have said they expect to win around 140 seats, up from the 99 seats the party currently has.
The Congress, which won 77 seats in the 2017 election, carried out a low-key campaign this time. Rahul Gandhi, who led the electioneering in the previous edition, was in the state for just one day this time, coming out of his ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra.
Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party, which seemingly expected to emerge as the principal opposition in the state, if not win the elections, carried out a vociferous campaign, highlighting its governance model in Delhi and Punjab.
For Himachal Pradesh, Aaj Tak-Axis My India predicted a close contest between the Congress and the BJP. It said the BJP would get 24-34 seats and the Congress 30-40.
News 24-Today’s Chanakya pointed to a cliffhanger in Himachal Pradesh, predicting 33 seats for both the BJP and the Congress, with a margin of plus-minus seven seats for both.
While ABP News C-Voter said the BJP is likely to get 33-41 seats and Congress 24-32, India TV predicted that the BJP would bag 35-40 seats, Congress 26-31 and AAP zero.
The News X-Jan Ki Baat survey said the BJP is likely to get 32-40 seats in the hill state, Congress 27-34, and AAP zero.
While Republic TV P-MARQ predicted that the BJP would get 34-39, Congress 28-33 and AAP 0-1, the Times Now-ETG survey said the BJP is likely to get 38 seats and the Congress 28.
According to Zee News-BARC, BJP is expected to get 35-40 seats in the hill state, while Congress is likely to bag 20-25.
Himachal Pradesh is a swing state that has alternated between the BJP and Congress for the past three decades. Both parties have consistently received around 40% of the stable vote share (except in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls when the Congress vote share was reduced to 27 per cent). The outcomes have always been neck and neck.
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