DF has edge over SS-BJP in Maharashtra: Exit polls

Going by the results of the exit polls by Aaj Tak, Star News and Zee News, the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party-Republican Party of India alliance has an edge over the Shiv Sena-BJP in Maharashtra. The results were released on Wednesday evening after the end of polling.

Aaj Tak:
Mumbai: The results reveal that the Democratic Front will maintain its winning streak in the metropolis getting between 19 and 23 seats out of the 34 at stake.

Konkan (including Thane district): The results of the survey, released on Wednesday evening after the end of poll, indicated that the alliance would make inroads into the Shiv Sena stronghold of Konkan winning between 13 and 16 seats.

Vidarbha: The Shiv Sena-BJP will continue to make gains in Vidarbha and will win 32 to 36 seats and the DF 22-26.

Marathwada: The Democratic Front has managed to regain lost ground in Marathwada at the expense of the Sena-BJP in terms of seats despite a negative vote swing. It is expected to win 16-20 seats as compared to the SS-BJP's 17-21.

Northern Maharashtra: Here too, the Democratic Front has made gains in terms of seats despite a negative vote swing. It is expected to win 16-19 seats, SS-BJP 12-15 with 2-5 seats for others.

Western Maharashtra: The Democratic Front is facing the biggest negative swing in this region but the loss in terms of seats works out to about 8-10. The Aaj Tak survey puts its tally at between 47 and 51, the Shiv Sena-BJP at 12-15 and others 2-5. This is the region, which saw the maximum dissidence in the ruling combine.

Overall, the exit poll results indicate that the DF will get 140-150, Sena-BJP 100-110 and Others 30-40 seats.

Star News (no of seats):
Mumbai: DF 21 SS-BJP 12 Others 3
Konkan: DF 10 SS-BJP 12 Others 2
Vidarbha: DF 30 SS-BJP 31 Others 5
Marathwada: DF 19 SS-BJP 29 Others 0
Northern Maharashtra: DF 17 SS-BJP 23 Others 2
Western Maharashtra: DF 52 SS-BJP 12 Others 8
Overall: DF 149 SS-BJP 119 Others 12

Zee News
A Zee News exit poll on Wednesday gave the ruling Congress-Nationalist Congress Party alliance in Maharashtra a slight edge over the opposition Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party in the assembly election, voting for which ended at 1730 IST.

The poll gave Congress-NCP 125 seats, a good 19 seats short of the halfway mark. It gave the Sena-BJP alliance 115. Others, which would by all calculations include a large number of Congress and NCP rebels, were given 48 seats.

In region-wise break up, the poll showed the Congress-NCP making gains in Mumbai. In Northern Maharashtra, both the Congress-NCP and the Shiv Sena-BJP were shown suffering losses. Others in this region, the poll said, would walk away with at least 10 seats.

The poll said Konkan, a traditional stronghold of Shiv Sena, could prove to be a shock to the party. It said the Congress-NCP could win around 13 seats in the coastal belt, a gain of eight.

But the Sena-BJP looked more than making up for the loss in Western Maharashtra, a stronghold of the Congress-NCP.

In Marathwada, the poll said, the Congress-NCP is sitting pretty with a gain of five seats.

In Vidarbha, which was in focus because of the presence of Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party in the fray, the ruling alliance could suffer a setback, the poll said. However, the credit for this would not go to the opposition, which is just about holding its position.

Others, the poll said, could win as many as 11 seats. If that prediction comes true, the BSP could play a crucial role in the formation of the next government.

The figures:

Mumbai -- Total seats 36

Congress-NCP 16 (+3), Shiv Sena-BJP 17 (-3) and Others 3 (0).

Konkan (including Thane district) -- Total seats 30

Congress-NCP 13 (+8), Shiv Sena-BJP 11 (-9) and Others 6.

Vidarbha -- Total seats: 66

Congress-NCP 25 (-6), Shiv Sena-BJP -- 30 (+1), Others 11.

Marathwada -- Total seats: 46

Congress-NCP 21 (+5), Shiv Sena-BJP 19 (-7), Others 8 (+2)

Northern Maharashtra -- 36 seats

Congress-NCP 13 (-3), Shiv Sena-BJP 13 (-3), Others 10 (+6)

Westeran Maharashtra -- Total seats 72