The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), comprising the All India NR Congress (AINRC), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), is projected to form the government in the Union Territory of Puducherry, according to three exit polls, whose data was released on Thursday, 29 April.
The Congress-DMK-led alliance has been projected to lag behind in all three exit polls.
21 Seats for NDA, 8 Seats for UPA in Puducherry: CVoter
According to the CVoter exit poll data, the NDA is expected to get 21 seats in the 30-seat Puducherry Assembly. The UPA, including the Congress and DMK, is projected to get only eight seats, while one seat is expected to be won by Others.
As far the vote share is concerned, the NDA is expected to garner 47.1 percent of the votes, the UPA 34.2 percent, and Others 18.7 percent.
Narrow Advantage for NDA: Republic-CNX
Meanwhile, the Republic-CNX exit poll has projected 16-20 seats for the NDA, followed by 11-13 seats for the Congress-DMK led alliance, and zero seats for Others.
Looking at the breakdown party-wise, the poll has projected 3-5 seats for the BJP, 2-4 for AIADMK and 10-12 for AINRC under NDA. Meanwhile, the Congress is expected to win 5-7 seats, and the DMK too 5-7 seats, as per the poll.
20-24 Seats for NDA: India Today-Axis My India
According to the India-Today-Axis My India poll, the NDA is expected to win 20-24 seats, while the UPA would get 6-10 seats.
Political Equations in Puducherry
With the last phase of polling in West Bengal concluding on Thursday, various agencies and news organisations released exit poll data for the four states and one Union territory that have voted over the past few weeks, including Puducherry.
Polling was held across 30 seats in Puducherry in a single phase on 6 April, along with Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Two major alliances are looking to form the government in the Union territory – the NDA and the Congress and DMK-led alliance.
The NDA is led by the All India NR Congress (AINRC), which contested from 16 seats, followed by the BJP, which contested from nine seats, and the AIADMK, which did so from five. Meanwhile, in the other camp, the Congress contested 14 seats, followed by DMK (13), while one seat each was reserved for CPI and Thol Thirumavalavan's VCK.
Weeks before the elections were held in Puducherry, the Congress-led government had collapsed, after having failed to prove its majority in the Assembly, and President's rule was imposed in the Union territory.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)