New Delhi/Mumbai: The BJP appeared set to return to power with a bigger mandate in Maharashtra, where it is in alliance with the Shiv Sena, and Haryana, as exit polls forecast a facile victory for the party in the two states and rout for its rivals led by the Congress.
Exit polls, broadcast soon after the polling ended, varied widely in their projection of seats for the rival alliances but an emphatic victory with more than two-third seats for the BJP-led NDA in Maharashtra and Haryana was the common theme.
The party's campaign was led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Amit Shah, who attacked the opposition over its criticism of the centre's decision to scrap Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
Maharashtra
In the previous Maharashtra elections, the BJP, Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP won 122, 63, 42 and 41 seats respectively. The BJP-Shiv Sena combine earned 185 seat majority in the Assembly alone.
News18-Ipsos
NDA - 243
UPA - 41
AIMIM - 01
Others - 03
India Today-Axis
NDA - 166-194
UPA - 72-90
Others - 22-34
Times Now
NDA - 230
UPA - 48
Others - 10
IANS-CVoter
NDA - 204
UPA - 69
Others - 15
ABP-CVoter
NDA - 204
UPA - 69
Others - 15
Republic-Jan Ki Baat
NDA - 216-230
UPA - 50-69
Others - 8-12
TV9-Bharatvarsh
BJP -100
SS - 97
INC - 45
NCP - 30
Others - 16
Haryana
The BJP, which gained many seats in the Jat dominated areas in 2014, is expecting to make a return in the state with more than 70 seats. And chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar is at the forefront of this.
News18-Ipsos
BJP - 75
INC - 10
JJP - 02
Others - 03
Times Now
BJP - 71
INC - 11
Others - 08
IANS-CVoter
BJP – 68-76
INC – 3-12
Others - 5-14
Republic-Jan Ki Baat
BJP - 52-63
INC - 15-19
Others - 12-19
TV9-Bharatvarsh
BJP - 47
INC - 23
Others - 20
NewsX
BJP - 77
INC - 11
Others - 2
India News-Polstrat
BJP - 75
INC - 9
INLD - 1
Others - 5
The BJP had brought the issue of Article 370 nullification and national security at the centre of its campaign with development works its state governments playing the second fiddle.
In 2014 the BJP and the Sena had won 122 seats and 63 seats respectively followed by 42 and 41 seats by the Congress and the NCP. All four parties had contested independently in the previous assembly polls.
In Haryana, the BJP had won 47 followed by INLD's 19 and 15 of the Congress.