KOLKATA: Exit polls results on Sunday projected BJP making heavy inroads across West Bengal and the saffron party is likely to secure more than one-third of the 42 Lok Sabha seats and cause a massive jolt to the ruling Trinamool.
Experts analysing the exit poll trend believe such a scenario would mean the issue of NRC, minority appeasement, allegations of non-development and atrocities and corruption of Trinamool cadres, besides the failure of the Congress and Left to exert themselves, maybe the factors to blame.
The average of four exit polls suggested that the BJP is likely to get at least 15 to 17 seats and Trinamool is likely to suffer a steep decline and settle for between 24 to 26 seats.
Reacting to the exit poll reports, chief minister Mamata Banerjee described it as a game plan to manipulate or replace EVMs.
Mamata told a regional news channel that the game plan was introduced by PM Narendra Modi.
“The exit poll in 2016 also predicted my defeat. This is a conspiracy to establish a fake as fact. This is to divide the Opposition so that they become weak after knowing the exit poll result,’’ she alleged.
According to the results, Congress will be able to retain two seats out of four while the Left Front may just get one seat or none.
The report also shows, BJP is likely to gain two more seats in north Bengal while retaining Darjeeling, while the rest of its seats are predicted to come from south Bengal on the back of massive erosion of ruling Trinamool’s vote bank.