BJP expects to win more seats in Gujarat than forecast in opinion poll

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The ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) looks all set to sweep the forthcoming Assembly elections in Gujarat scheduled to be held in two phases on December 1 and 5, according to an exclusive CVoter-ABP Gujarat Opinion Poll conducted to gauge popular perceptions and voting intent of adult citizens in the state.

According to the opinion poll, the BJP is projected to win between 131 and 139 seats in the 182-member Gujarat Assembly. In the previous Assembly polls in 2017, the BJP had won 99 seats. The Congress' tally is expected to drop precipitously from 77 seats in 2017 to between 31 and 39 seats this time.

The surprise package is the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) that is projected to win between 7 and 15 seats. As a party, AAP was non-existent in Gujarat in the 2017 elections.

The survey hinted that AAP is going to eat a large share of Congress votes in the upcoming elections.

Commenting on the opinion poll, Gujarat BJP chief spokesperson Yamal Vyas told IANS, "We are expecting even more seats than what has been projected in the survey. And as far as the AAP is concerned, it will draw a blank in Gujarat."

On the other, Congress and AAP dismissed the opinion poll, claiming that it is only meant to mislead the voters.

Congress spokesman Amit Nayak told IANS, "Opinion polls have proven to be wrong a number of times in the past. BJP has brought AAP and AIMIM to Gujarat to divide anti-incumbency votes. But this time its strategy will fail, as people have started realising that AAP is the 'B' team of BJP. Contrary to the opinion poll, Congress will come to power in Gujarat by winning at least 125 seats."

AAP spokesman Yogesh Jadvani told IANS, "Thrice in Delhi and once in Punjab, people have proved that these surveys can be completely wrong, and this will be repeated in Gujarat elections too, as people have decided to change the state government."

If AAP is getting 20 per cent vote share, as predicted by the opinion poll, there is every possibility that it will dent the ruling party's (BJP) vote share too, said political analyst Dilip Gohil.

While early indications are that BJP is benefitting a lot from AAP's presence, things can change, he added.

--IANS

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