Voting for the second and final phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections concluded on Wednesday, bringing an end to the present election cycle for Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam, West Bengal, and Puducherry.
According to the first set of exit polls from P-MARQ for West Bengal, the BJP is predicted to win 150-175 seats and form a government in the state—just 2-27 seats more than the requirement of 148 seats in West Bengal's 294-strong Assembly.
It also estimates that the TMC will win somewhere between 118-138 seats, which is well below the majority figure required for CM Mamata Banerjee to retain power for a fourth term in the state.
Exit polls from Matrize and Poll Diary have also come out, which predict similar wins for the BJP in the state.
While Matrize predicted 146-161 seats for the BJP, Poll Diary claimed a broader figure of 142-171 seats.
In contrast, the TMC has been projected to get 125-140 seats by Matrize, while Poll Diary has said that it would only get 99-127 seats.
However, Peoples Pulse has gone against the grain, predicting that the TMC would retain its power in the state with a 178-187 sweep, giving the BJP just 95-110 seats.
Chanakya Strategies has also projected a 150-160 figure for the BJP, similar to the P-MARQ survey, and 130-140 seats for the TMC. 6-10 seats have been projected for the remaining parties contesting in the state.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) had announced that exit polls for this election cycle will come out after voting concludes in West Bengal at 6:30 PM.
It added that around 700 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) will remain deployed across West Bengal after polling ends, until further orders.
