In West Bengal, the Marxists are out in the cold. Exit polls broadcast by several television channels after the last phase ended in the state on Tuesday afternoon indicated a complete rout of the Left from its strongest bastion, West Bengal, where it has ruled for 34 years. In Kerala, however, it appears to be a neck-and-neck fight between the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front and the Congress-led United Democratic Front.
In Tamil Nadu, pollsters have predicted conflicting results, with one projection gives the Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK alliance an edge over the rival DMK-led alliance headed by M. Karunanidhi, another gives the opposite scenario in the state. In the case of Assam too, the pollsters have divergent seat projections: one exit poll indicated a hung Assembly while another projected the ruling Congress’ return to power in the state.
In West Bengal, though, all the exit polls predict a complete rout for the ruling Left Front, which has held power at Kolkata’s Writers’ Buildings since 1977. If these predictions come true, the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamul Congress is headed for a landslide in partnership with her Congress ally.
CNN-IBN projections show the Congress-Trinamul combine set to win between 222 and 234 seats in the 294-member Assembly, with the Left Front left with 60 to 72 seats. Star TV’s exit polls gives the TMC-Congress combine 215 seats, the Left Front 74 and Others 5. Similarly, Aaj Tak/Headlines Today projected 210-220 seats for the TMC-Congress alliance and 65-70 seats for the Left Front.
In Kerala, CNN-IBN has predicted a possible comeback for the ruling LDF with a seat projection of 69 to 77, whereas the Congress-led UDF might end up getting 63 to 71 seats. Going by this projection, it appears that fortunes might swing either way as the numbers are too close to each other. But Aaj Tak/Headlines Today predicts a certain victory for the Congress-led UDF, with a projected seat share of 85 to 92 in an Assembly of 140, leaving 45 to 52 seats for the CPI(M)-led LDF.
Conflicting projections appeared to be more apparent in Tamil Nadu, with CNN-IBN giving a clear edge to the AIADMK-led alliance over the ruling DMK; with the former getting 120 to 132 seats and the latter ending up with 102 to 114 seats. But Aaj Tak/Headlines Today has given an edge to the ruling n Turn to Page 2
DMK over the Opposition AIADMK. It says the DMKled alliance is likely to get 115 to 130 seats, and the AIADMK-led one will get 105 to 120 seats.
Divergent results were also predicted in Assam, with CNN-IBN predicting a certain return to power by the ruling Congress, winng 64 to 72 seats in an Assembly of 126. But Aaj Tak/Headlines Today has predicted a hung Assembly in the state, with the Congress getting 41 to 47 seats, the Asom Gana Parishad 31 to 35 seats, the BJP 16-18 seats and the AIUDF 12-14 seats.