Congress is likely to make major gains in Kerala, Punjab.
With polling closed in 542 constituencies in the country on Sunday, various media outlets broadcast their exit poll numbers, almost all of them forecasting a clear majority for the BJP-led NDA and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's return to power.
Some of the exit polls projected that BJP-led NDA will get more than 300 seats to comfortably cross the majority mark of 272 in the Lok Sabha. In 2014, the NDA had won 336 seats and the Congress 44. The BJP had notched up its maiden majority by bagging 282 seats.
Almost all exit polls have projected that the Congress-led UPA will be limited to somewhere around 100-120 seats.
However, Punjab and Kerala have some silver linings for the Congress with the grand old party projected to sweep the two states. While Kerala went to polls in phase 3 of Lok Sabha polls on April 23, voting in Punjab took place in the last phase on May 19.
Zee Maha Exit Poll: Big takeaways from 2019 Exit Polls for Lok Sabha Election
Here is what exit poll projections in Punjab and Kerala say:
1. Punjab - 13
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Barring stray incidents of clashes between Congress and SAD-BJP workers, the polling for 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab on Sunday went off peacefully, recording a voter turnout of 64.45 per cent which sealed the fate of 278 candidates.
Polling remained peaceful in the lone parliamentary constituency of Union Territory Chandigarh, where 63.57 per cent of over six lakh electors exercised their franchise to seal the fate of 36 candidates, poll officials said.
As many as 278 candidates, including 24 women, are in the fray in Punjab where 2.07 crore voters were eligible to cast their votes in the seventh and final phase of the general election.
2014 results: In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the poll percentage in Punjab was 70.89 and 73.1 pc in Chandigarh. The BJP- Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) combine had won six out of 13 seats in the state, while the AAP had bagged four seats and the Congress party had secured three seats.
Exit poll 2019:
News 18-IPSOS: BJP+SAD: 2, Congress: 10, AAP-1
News 24-Today's Chanakya: BJP+SAD-06, Congress-06, AAP-1
India Today-Axis My India: BJP+SAD: 3-5, Congress: 8-9, AAP: 0-1
ABP News-Nielsen: BJP+SAD-3, Congress-8, AAP-2
CVoter-Republic: BJP+SAD-2, Congress-11
India TV-CNX: BJP+SAD-4, Congress-8, AAP-1
Republic- Jan Ki Baat: BJP+SAD: 4, Congress: 9
Times Now-VMR: BJP+SAD: 3, Congress- 10
2. Kerala -20
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It was a do-or-die battle for both the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF and opposition Congress-headed UDF in most of the 20 Lok Sabha seats this time in the state, known for its decades-long bipolar politics.
The BJP-led NDA posed a formidable challenge to the two traditional fronts in at least three constituencies -- Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta and Thrissur.
With Congress president Rahul Gandhi contesting from Wayanad in addition to Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, the party hoped to gain major seats in the state to improve its national tally. Exit poll projections show that the southern state has not disappointed the grand old party with most of the 20 seats going its way.
2014 results: In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Congress-led UDF won 12 out of 20 seats while the CPI(M)-led LDF was able to win 8 seats. The BJP, which was trying to make gains in the state, drew a blank.
Exit poll 2019:
News 18-IPSOS: UDF: 7-9, LDF: 11-13, BJP:0-1
News 24-Today's Chanakya: UDF: 13-16, LDF: 4-7, BJP: 0-1
India Today-Axis My India: UDF: 15-16, LDF: 3-4, BJP: 0-2
ABP News-Nielsen: UDF: 15, LDF: 5, BJP: 0
CVoter-Republic: UDF: 15, LDF: 5, BJP: 0
India TV-CNX: UDF: 7-9, LDF: 11-13, BJP-0-1
Republic- Jan Ki Baat: UDF: 14-16, LDF: 4-5, BJP-0-2
Times Now-VMR: UDF: 15, LDF: 4, BJP: 1
3. Exit polls predict Modi's return to power
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Most exit polls Sunday forecast another term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with some of them projecting that BJP-led NDA will get more than 300 seats to comfortably cross the majority mark of 272 in the Lok Sabha.
Exit polls by News 18-Ipsos, India Today-Axis and News 24-Chanakya projected 336, 339-368 and 336-364 seats respectively for the NDA, with the BJP tipped to cross the majority on its own for another term after the 2014 polls.
However, two exit polls -- one by ABP News-Nielsen and another by Neta-News X -- said the ruling alliance may fall short of a majority. ABP News forecast 267 and NewsX 242 seats for the ruling NDA.
Elections to 542 seats of the 543-member Lok Sabha ended Sunday. The Election Commission has deferred election for Vellore in Tamil Nadu over allegations of misuse of money power.
The counting of votes is slated for May 23.
