RANCHI: The fifth and final phase of the Jharkhand Assembly polls went off peacefully on Friday, with the turnout pegged at 71 per cent, the most in all the five phases of polling.
As soon as polling got over, the focus shifted to exit polls, with most predicting a hung Assembly. Most pollsters said the ruling BJP would fall short of the majority mark, at 32 seats, while the grand Opposition alliance will bag 35 seats.
The All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) and Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) are predicted to bag 5 and 3 seats respectively.
Left parties and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) are expected to win 3 and 2 seats.
Hemant Soren, executive president of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), said, “The JMM-Congress alliance will be getting full majority. If other regional parties, outside the alliance, want to join us, they are welcome.”
“The exit poll projections bear proof that state elections cannot be won by raising national issues to misguide people. ,” Irfan Ansari, the state’s Congress working president, said.
State BJP general secretary Deepak Prakash said, “Exit polls are exit polls. We trust the people to vote us back.”
NCP likely to get 1 seat
Exit poll surveys conducted by various agencies also gave the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) a lone seat and 2 to Independents. The five-phase polling for 81 Assembly seats began on November 30.