NDA to win 306 seats, UPA may get 132: Times Now exit poll

The BJP-led NDA may get a clear majority with 306 Lok Sabha seats while their rival UPA could lag behind with only 132 seats, according to an exit poll conducted by TV channel Times Now.

The channel predicted that the BJP would emerge as the single largest party winning 262 seats, after the end of mammoth seven-phase polling for the 542 of the 543 parliamentary constituencies. The BJP, on its own, may fall short of majority by nine seats.

The Congress can improve its tally from 44 in 2014 to 78 in 2019, it predicted.

In Uttar Pradesh, where the BJP is contesting against the Samajawadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party-Rashtriya Lok Dal alliance and the Congress, it could win 58 seats along with its alliance partner Apana Dal. 

According to the prediction, the NDA may lose 15 seats against 73 in the 2014 elections. The SP-BSP-RLD alliance may get 20 seats while Congress could finish with just two seats.

In fiercely-fought battle in West Bengal, the BJP is likely to make a gain of nine seats taking its tally to 11 as against two in 2014. The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress may win 28 seats while Congress may finish with two and the Left front one seat.

According to the exit polls, the alliance of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, Hindustani Awam Morcha, Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) and the Vikassheel Insan Party (VIP) failed to make any major impact in Bihar.

The alliance of opposition parties may get only seats while the NDA comprising of BJP, Janata Dal-United and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) may win 30 out of total 40 seats.

In Maharashtra, the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) alliance appears to have failed in front of voters. They may get 10 seats while the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance may get 38 seats.

The news channel predicted that among the major regional parties, the AIADK may win 7 seats, the YSR Congress 18, the TRS 13, the DMK 23, the TDP 7, the JD-U 14, the Shiv Sena 16, the Janata Dal-Secular 1, the Shiromani Akali Dal 2 and the Biju Janata Dal 8. Other may get 53 seats.
IANS