Exit polls: BJP to win Gujarat comfortably; dethrone Congress in Himachal

BJP looks all set to retain majority in the 182-seat Gujarat Assembly, clean sweep in Himachal Pradesh

11:05 AM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also cast his vote later in the day

11:05 AM

Vote BJP for development, Jaitley urges people

 

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday urged the people of Gujarat to vote in huge numbers to continue the journey of development with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

 

"The 'Vikas' (development and growth) journey of Gujarat is in progress and we have already done a tremendous work in past 22 years. I appeal to the people of Gujarat that they come in huge numbers for voting and maintain the journey of development with the BJP," Jaitley briefed media after casting his vote in Ahmedabad's Vejalpur.

11:01 AM

While the Times Now-VMR opinion poll predicted 106-116 seats for the BJP, CVoter/TV9 predicted 109 seats for the ruling party. The Lokniti-CSDS-ABP poll gave the BJP 91 to 99 seats.

10:57 AM

Rahul Gandhi: BJP and Modiji indulge in aggressive attacks against me. But I don't retaliate because I don't mind it.

10:52 AM

150 seats in Gujarat can propel Nifty to 10,700 levels, say analysts

Markets are likely to remain choppy over the next two trading sessions as they react to the exit poll outcome (Friday) and the counting of votes (Monday) for the recently held assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat.

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10:51 AM

Jignesh Mevani is contesting from Vadgam as an Independent candidate, with the Congress not fielding anyone against him.

10:51 AM

Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel is contesting from Mehsana, from where Hardik Patel had launched his movement to demand reservation for Patels or Paatidars in government jobs and colleges

10:50 AM

The Congress has attempted to harness the anger of key groups against the ruling party and has tied up with Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani, backward leader Alpesh Thakore and the face of the Patel agitation for reservation, Hardik Patel.

10:49 AM

The BJP's lead campaigner PM Modi has extensively focused on the tribal belts to complement the party's conscious effort to deepen its roots within the tribal community, including encouraging local leaders.

10:48 AM

Anti-incumbency sentiment toward BJP

 

It is in the tribal belt that the BJP, which has been in power for the last 22 years, expects to make up for any loss in other places because of an anti-incumbency sentiment.

10:47 AM

The Gujarat election result will be "shocking" for the BJP, Congress President-elect Rahul Gandhi said on Wednesday, maintaining he didn't return Prime Minister Narendra Modi's verbal barbs targeting him and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh because he wanted to change the culture of personal attacks in political discourse.

 

"Gujarat will this time throw a surprising result. It will be shocking for the BJP. They are scared. BJP workers who talk to our leaders say that the Congress effectively campaigned in Gujarat and their own campaign was not so effective. Even they feel they will not be able to defend their own record," Gandhi said.

10:46 AM

The BJP's big challenge in this round is to retain Ahmedabad and Vadodara, Gujarat's two mega cities that had overwhelmingly backed the party in the last election. The BJP had won 26 of the 31 seats from these two districts alone.

10:45 AM

Deputy CM Nitin Patel casts his vote in Mehsana's Kadi. He is contesting against Congress's Jivabhai Patel

10:45 AM

The ruling BJP had won 52 of the 93 constituencies voting today in the 2012 assembly election, and the Congress had won 39.

10:38 AM