Hung assembly for UP; BSP emerging frontrunner: Exit Polls

New Delhi, May 3 (UNI) The sixth phase of the ongoing Uttar Pradesh polls in which 52 assembly constituencies went to the polls today indicates that the state is heading for a hung assembly with the Bahujan Samaj Party emerging as a clear frontrunner and the Samajwadi Party likely to face anti-incumbency wrath of the electorate and suffer reverses.

According to the Exit Polls conducted by some news channels, after the sixth phase the BSP is likely to capture about 120 to 140 seats while the BJP-JD(U) coalition to corner more than 110 seats. Samajwadi Party is predicted to get about 90 to 120 seats, while the Congress seems to be improving its tally in the state.

Exit Polls conducted by NDTV say out of 52 seats that went to the polls in the sixth phase today, the BSP may get 19 to 23 seats, which is four to eight seats more than what the party had got in 2002. Compared to 2002, when the party had acquired eleven seats in these constituencies, the BJP-JD(U) coalition is likely to bag 9 to 13 seats.

The Samajwadi Party, which had cornered 20 seats in 2002, is likely to secure 16 to 20 seats this time, while the Congress, which had just got one seat in 2002, is likely to snare three seats.

The others who had got five seats in these constituencies last time are likely to get up to three seats this time.

As far as vote shares were concerned, the BSP and the SP are expected to get about 28 per cent and 27.2 per cent respectively, while the BJP coalition is likely to bag about 24.7 per cent vote share and the Congress 12.4 per cent.

The NDTV exit poll predicts that the BSP would get 120 to 130 seats in the next assembly, the BJP-led coalition to get 110 to 120 seats, while the SP to get an equal number of seats which was much less than last time's 145. However, the Congress is expected to improve its tally from 25 in 2002 to 35-45 this time.

The Star News Exit Poll predict the BSP to emerge as the unchallenged number one party by clinching 21 seats in this round of polling with about 28 per cent of the total vote share while the BJP likely to get 17 seats with a vote share of more than 25 per cent.

If Star TV exit polls are to be believed then the Samajwadi Party has a great probability of facing major reserves with just 13 seats vote share of 23 per cent in this phase while the Congress is likely to add to its kitty about seven seats in this round.

The Star TV exit polls have predicted the BSP to get about 140 seats in the next assembly, while the BJP would get more than 110,the SP to be confined to just 89 and the Congress likely to win about 28 seats.

The India TV-C voter exit poll shows the BSP is likely to clinch about 17 to 21 seats followed by the SP, which is expected to get about 13 to 17 seats, while the BJP may get 12 to 16 seats and the Congress to get one to five seats.

UNI