Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will sweep Punjab and Uttar Pradesh will stay firmly with the BJP, a poll of exit polls predicted after voting ended for state elections that are seen to be the semi-final ahead of the 2024 national election.
A health warning - exit polls often get it wrong.
In Uttar Pradesh, the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP is likely to win another term by a landslide, signal six exit polls. An aggregate of exit polls gives the BJP and its allies 241 of the state's 403 seats - the majority-mark is at 202 - with Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party finishing second with 142 seats.
An average of 10 polls predicts a remarkable win for AAP in its first major state, Punjab. The exit polls give AAP 63 seats in 117-seat Punjab, with the majority mark at 59. If this happens, AAP will take power in the first full state; Delhi, where it has been in power since 2015, is partly under the Centre.
The ruling Congress is set to finish second with 28 seats in the assembly, the polls say, indicating that the party may pay the price for intense infighting; in the months preceding the vote, Navjot Singh Sidhu bickered with veteran Amarinder Singh as well as the man who replaced him, Charanjit Singh Channi.
The BJP, which joined hands with Amarinder Singh, may remain a minor player in Punjab, with its former ally, Akali Dal, predicted to win 19 seats.
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