Exit Polls: BJP will be back in Manipur with a clear lead
New Delhi (Akash Rabindra Shukla): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to get a majority in Manipur where polling was held in two phases on February 28 and March 5. According to most of the exit polls, BJP’s N Biren Singh is set to return to power.
As per the India Today– Axis My India exit poll, the BJP is likely to retain power in Manipur by winning between 33 to 43 seats in the 60-seat state assembly elections. The Congress is expected to get only 4-8 seats and others between 10 and 23 seats.
Awadh TV-Ground Zero Research exit poll predicted BJP to be the single largest party with 23-28 seats, giving 10-14 for Congress.
As per the ABP-Cvoter survey, BJP is expected to win between 23 and 27 seats, Congress between 12 and 26, NPP 10-14, NPF 2-7, and others 2-6.
While P-Marq has predicted 27-31 seats for the BJP, Jan Ki Baat has also given the party a clear lead of 23-28 seats. CNN-News18’s Ground Zero Research for Manipur suggests 26-31 seats for the BJP, 12-17 for the Congress, 6-10 for NPP and 5-12 for others.
Designboxed has predicted 32-38 seats for the BJP, 12-17 for the Congress, 2-4 for NPP and 2-5 for others. CNX has predicted 26-31 seats for the BJP.
P-Marq has predicted 11-17 seats for the Congress, 6-10 for the National People’s Party (NPP) and 5-13 for others.
Meanwhile, Jan Ki Baat has predicted 10-14 seats for the Congress, 7-8 for the NPP and 12-18 for others. According to CNX, the Congress may win 12-17 seats in Manipur, NPP 6-10 and others 7-12.
Poll of Polls has predicted 29-33 seats for the BJP, 12-16 for the Congress, 6-8 for the NPP and 7-11 for others.
The BJP, which had bagged 21 seats in the 60-member assembly in 2017 and wrested the power for the first time, stitching together a coalition government with the support of four NPP MLAs, four Naga People’s Front (NPF) members, the lone Trinamool Congress MLA and an Independent member. However, this time the BJP, NPP and the NPF have contested separately and put-up candidates against each other.
In the over two-months long campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP President JP Nadda, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, his Tripura counterpart Biplab Kumar Deb, National People’s Party (NPP) supremo Conrad K Sangma, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, party General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Rajya Sabha Member Jairam Ramesh took part for their respective party candidates.
Prominent names in the fray include Chief Minister and BJP candidate N Biren Singh, his cabinet colleague Thongam Biswajit Singh, NPP candidate and Deputy Chief Minister Yumnam Joykumar Singh, senior BJP leader Thokchom Satyabrata Singh, Congress’ Ratankumar Singh, Lokeshwar Singh, Saratchandra Singh, and sitting party MLA Akoijam Mirabai Devi.
The NPP, the dominant party of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government, has been an ally of the BJP in both the north-eastern states (Meghalaya and Manipur) since 2017, has put up 38 candidates while the BJP fielded in all the 60 seats in the Manipur elections.
The Congress, which governed the state for 15 consecutive years (2002-2017) and emerged as the single largest party by securing 28 seats in 2017 poll, this time formed a Manipur Progressive Secular Alliance (MPSA) after forging a pre-poll alliance with four Left parties and Janata Dal-Secular.
