New Delhi:
The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance could win as many as seven Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu – a state in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party has struggled in recent centre and state elections – exit polls said Saturday evening, after voting finished for the seventh and final phase.
The most optimistic prediction for the BJP’s coalition comes from India TV-CNX – which gives it between five and seven seats. The India Today-Axis My India exit poll predicts two to four seats.
The Jan Ki Baat exit poll gives the alliance five seats.
A health warning: Exit polls often get it wrong.
Three other exit polls – ABP News-C Voter, India News-D Dynamic, and TV 9 Bharatvarsh-Polstrat – also have the NDA winning at least one seat in the state.
It is important to note the exit polls give seats to the NDA and not the BJP.
The BJP has allied with nine Tamil parties. The national party contested 23 of the state’s 39 seats, leaving 10 to the Pattali Makkal Katchi and three to the Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar).
The rest were shared between a splinter group of former ally AIADMK and the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam led by TTV Dhinakaran.
The results – a big boost for the party’s profile in the south – follow extensive campaigning by Mr Modi in Tamil Nadu in particular; the Prime Minister made nearly a dozen visits to the state since the election dates were announced, with roadshows in Chennai on the agenda.
