Exit polls: BJP set to retain UP with reduced majority

New Delhi: As the seven-phased Assembly elections across five States came to an end on Monday, the exit polls predicted a clear win for the BJP and its allied parties in Uttar Pradesh but with a reduced majority.

According to most of the agencies conducting exit polls this time, the AAP is expected to unseat the Congress in Punjab while there will be a tight race between the Congress and BJP in Uttarakhand and Goa. In Manipur, the saffron party, along with its allies — the NPP, NPF and JD(U) — will have an edge over the Congress as per the exit polls. In Punjab, India Today Axis-poll predicted 76-90 seats for AAP, 19-31 seats for Congress, 1-4 seats for BJP, and 7-11 seats for SAD in 117-seat Assembly. According to Polstrat, BJP and allied parties will win 211-225 out of 403 seats in Uttar Pradesh, SP and its allies will get 146-160 while the BSP will clinch 14-24 and the Congress will get 4-6 seats. Prediction by Times Now-Veto showed, the BJP winning 37 seats and Congress getting 31 Uttarakhand.

In 40-seat Goa assembly, the Congress is expected to get 16 seats closely followed by the BJP with 14, showed the exit polls by Times Now-Veto. Manipur, meanwhile, will see the BJP's seats varying between 23 and 28 and the Congress' between 10 and 14, said India News projections. The results of the Assembly elections will be announced on March 10.