After voting in seven phases of Lok Sabha election 2019, all eyes are on the exit polls which could give a glimpse into which party or alliance could have the best chance of coming to power. Zee News Maha exit poll will reveal what different pollsters are predicting for Uttar Pradesh, which traditionally has had a big say in which party has the bragging rights after Lok Sabha elections. With its 80 seats, the state has seen voting in all seven phases this year.
The battle in India's most populated state has been long-drawn and often quite bitter. Here, the Bharatiya Janata Party is hoping to stage a repeat of Lok Sabha election 2014 when it won a whopping 71 seats to trounce Samajwadi Party (5), Congress (2) and Bahujan Samaj Party (0). It was a show of dominance led by Narendra Modi who had contested from Varanasi and cruised to a decisive win here.
This year, arch rivals SP and BSP opted to combine forces in a bid to fend off BJP. Congress was wooing Mayawati for some time but the BSP chief opted to give India's grand old party a grand snub. While it has been a three-way contest in Uttar Pradesh, Congress would hope to once again reach out to state players in case of a hung parliament. BJP, on the other hand, is confident of yet another strong showing in Uttar Pradesh.
Here is what exit polls have predicted for UP:
# IndiaTV-CNX predicts 56 seats for NDA of which BJP likely to get 49. SP-BSP may get 27. In Amethi, the exit poll predicts Rahul Gandhi to win a close fight against Smriti Irani
# Times Now-VMR exit poll predicts 58 for NDA, 20 for SP-BSP and two seats for Congress.
# Republic-Jan Ki Baat exit poll predicts 38 seats to NDA, 40 for SP-BSP alliance and 2 for UPA.
# News18 IPSOS exit poll is more optimistic for NDA and predicts 50 to 54 seats for it out of the 67 Lok Sabha seats that went to polls in first six phases. The SP-BSP is likely to win 11 to 15 of these seats. UPA is predicted to win only two of these seats.
# ABP-CSDS exit poll predicts a strong showing in Awadh and Purvanchal regions for SP-BSP alliance. It says of the 54 seats here, BJP+ likely to win only 14. The exit poll further predicts only two seats for Congress here with the rest going to SP-BSP combine. Overall in UP, the exit poll predicts 22 seats for BJP+, 2 for Congress+ and a massive 56 for SP-BSP alliance.
# The numbers of exit polls have begun trickling in from almost every major agency.
#In the first phase of polling in Uttar Pradesh, the state recorded a turnout of 63.92 per cent. The voter turnout in the second phase was 62.39 per cent, 61.42 per cent in the third phase, 61.42 per cent in the fourth phase, 58 per cent in the fifth phase and 54.44 per cent in the sixth phase.
#Did you know? Most exit polls after voting in Lok Sabha election 2014 had predicted BJP winning around 50 seats in the state. BSP was touted to win around 15 while Congress was predicted to win a maximum of five. Eventually, BJP bettered all predictions by winning 71, leaving only scraps for its political rivals.
#UP has voted in each of the seven phases of Lok Sabha election 2019.
First phase: BAGHPAT, BIJNOR, GAUTAM BUDDHA NAGAR, GHAZIABAD, KAIRANA, MEERUT, MUZAFFARNAGAR, SAHARANPUR
Second phase: AGRA, ALIGARH, AMROHA, BULANDSHAHR, FATEHPUR SIKRI, HATHRAS, MATHURA, NAGINA
Third phase: AONLA, BADAUN, BAREILLY, ETAH, FIROZABAD, MAINPURI, MORADABAD, PILIBHIT, RAMPUR, SAMBHAL
Fourth phase: AKBARPUR, ETAWAH, FARRUKHABAD, HAMIRPUR, HARDOI, JALAUN, JHANSI, KANNAUJ, KANPUR, KHERI, MISRIKH, SHAHJAHANPUR, UNNAO
Fifth phase: AMETHI, BAHRAICH, BANDA, BARABANKI, DHAURAHRA, FAIZABAD, FATEHPUR, GONDA, KAISERGANJ, KAUSHAMBI, LUCKNOW, MOHANLALGANJ, RAE BARELI, SITAPUR
Sixth phase: ALLAHABAD, AMBEDKAR NAGAR, AZAMGARH, BASTI, BHADOHI, DOMARIYAGANJ, JAUNPUR, LALGANJ, MACHHLISHAHR, PHULPUR, PRATAPGARH, SANT KABIR NAGAR, SHRAWASTI, SULTANPUR
Seventh phase: BALLIA, BANSGAON, CHANDAULI, DEORIA, GHAZIPUR, GHOSI, GORAKHPUR, KUSHI NAGAR, MAHARAJGANJ, MIRZAPUR, OBERTSGANJ, SALEMPUR, VARANASI
