Gujarat election 2017: Sahara Samay-CNX exit poll gives BJP 110-120 seats

The Sahara Samay-CNX exit poll has predicted that the BJP will get between 110 and 120 seats and Congress between 65 and 75 seats

Voting in the second phase of the Gujarat Assembly Election 2017 closed on December 14.  And now, the fate of 1,828 candidates from across parties in locked in electronic voting machines (EVMs). These votes will be counted on December 18 and only then will we know for sure whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party will get a sixth straight term in the state or the Rahul Gandhi-led Congress will see an electoral revival.

However, if poll pubdits are to be believed, it may be an easy sailing for the BJP in Gujarat Assembly election 2017. It might go on to get 110 to 120 seats in the 182-seat Gujarat Assembly, predicts the Sahara Samay-CNX exit poll.

Thee exit poll has also predicted that the Congress could get only 65-75 seats, way below the majority mark of 92. 

The Sahara SamayCNX exit poll suggests that Gujaratis will continue to repose their faith the BJP, in power in the state for over 20 years and at the Centre for close to four years, despite some of the measures that have lately been criticised for causing pain to the general public -- the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and demonetisation being some of the examples.

In Gujarat, the second phase of voting on December 14 saw a 68.7 per cent voter turnout.

In the year 2012, the BJP had won 115 seats and the Congress 61. This time, there might be a slight fall in the BJP's vote share, but the party will retain incumbency, says the exit poll. 

The final verdict will be out on December 18. 

The Gujarat election is seen as a litmus test for the leadership of Rahul Gandhi and a mini-referendum for PM Narendra Modi's popularity before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.