Mamata Banerjee Faces Fight, Left Keeps Kerala, BJP Wins Assam: Exit Polls

Mamata Banerjee has an edge in what appears to be a tight race in Bengal, the BJP is likely to win Assam and the Left-led coalition may end a four-decade trend by retaining power in Kerala, NDTV's poll of exit polls predicts on state elections that were held alongside a steep rise in Covid cases across the country.

An aggregate of eight exit polls predicts that Mamata Banerjee may make it past the majority mark with 152 seats 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 130, 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 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.

India News-Jan Ki Baat predicts a win for the BJP while the Republic TV-CNX predicts a hung assembly.

In Kerala, the incumbent Left-led LDF front is likely to retain power with 87 of 140 seats and the Congress-led UDF will be a distant second with 51 seats, the polls say. If that proves right, it will be the first re-election for an incumbent in Kerala's see-saw politics. The BJP is set to make its presence felt in the southern state with two seats, the poll of polls says.

In Tamil Nadu, the polls predict a sweep for the opposition DMK and its allies; they are likely to win a staggering 173 of 234 seats, the exit polls say. The ruling AIADMK -- the BJP's ally - will end up with 58 seats in its first state election since the death of its charismatic leader J Jayalalithaa in 2016, say the polls. MK Stalin's DMK had scored big in the 2019 national election and hopes to return to power this time after two terms in the opposition.

The Congress is staring at disappointment in Assam, the exit polls suggest, with the BJP expected to retain power by winning 73 of 126 seats. The Congress, which campaigned aggressively to win back its former bastion, is likely to win 52 seats, say the polls.

Elections were held from March 27 in West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry. Bengal's record eight-phase polls ended today. The results will be announced on May 2.