West, central India likely to back BJP-led NDA: India Today-Axis exit poll

New Delhi, May 19 (IANS) A thumping victory is again on the cards for the BJP-led NDA in western and central India, as per the India Today-Axis exit poll.

The BJP-Shiv Sena combine, which had won 43 out of 48 seats in Maharashtra in 2014, is likely to win 38-42 Lok Sabha seats now. The Congress is likely to win six to 10 seats in the state, where it is contesting in alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party of Sharad Pawar.

In Gujarat, the BJP is predicted to win 25-26 seats. It had won all 26 Lok Sabha seats in the state in 2014, but now, the Congress, which gave a tough fight in the 2017 assembly election, is likely to win one seat.

In Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, where the Congress snatched power from the BJP in 2018 assembly elections, the BJP is predicted to be winning convincingly. It is predicted to win 23-25 Lok Sabha seats, like 2014, when it won all 25 seats. The ruling Congress is expected to win zero to two Lok Sabha seats.

In Madhya Pradesh, the BJP is again set to repeat its performance of 2014 Lok Sabha polls, being predicted to win 26 of the total 28 Lok Sabha seats. It had won 27 seats the last time. The Congress is expected to win one to three seats.

The exit poll results also showed a surprise for the BJP in Chhattisgarh, where the party was decimated in the 2018 assembly election.

The BJP is expected to win seven to eight Lok Sabha seats while the Congress is predicted to win zero to three seats. The BJP had won 10 out of 11 seats in the state in 2014 Lok Sabha polls while the Congress had won one seat.