Online Desk :
Mamata Banerjee has an edge in West Bengal and her Trinamool Congress could win 148 of the state’s 294 seats with the BJP not far behind at 131 seats, says NDTV’s poll of exit polls on state elections that were held alongside a steep rise in Covid cases across the country.
An aggregate of six exit polls predicts that Mamata Banerjee may just make it to the majority mark but her comfort factor will largely depend on how much she can widen the gap with challenger BJP after a series of defections before elections. The BJP’s projected tally is significant in a state where it has so far been an outlier.
A health warning – exit polls often get it wrong.
The Trinamool Congress came to power in West Bengal in 2011, ending 34 years of Left rule. In 2016, it retained power with an even bigger majority. This time, polls indicate that the Trinamool’s tally will drop sharply with the BJP gaining at its cost.
A survey by Kolkata’s Daily Anandabazar (ABP) also hints that the Trinamool Congress will once again form a government in West Bengal. According to the ABP survey, the grassroots vote share could be 42 percent. Trinamool Congress could get 152 to 164 seats.
