Poll of polls (Manipur): BJP to emerge as the single largest party

New Delhi, March 7: The BJP will retain the power for one more term in Manipur if we go by the exit polls on the recently-held elections in the state.

The saffron party is predicted to win at least 23 seats in the 60-member assembly.

According to Zee News-Designboxed, the saffron party might bag anything between 32 and 38 seats in the 60-member Assembly, while the Congress would possibly muster 12-17 seats.

IndiaTV Ground Zero Research has forecast 26-31 seats for the BJP, with the Congress ending up with 12-17 constituencies and other parties with 11-22 seats.

In almost every exit polls projection, the Congress was seen as bagging fewer seats than the last election's tally. The party had pocketed 28 seats in 2017, three short of the magic number. All pollsters are unanimous about BJP's better performance. The saffron camp, which won 22 seats in 2017, had stitched up an alliance with the NPP and other regional outfits to form government in the state, with N Biren Singh at the helm.

Interestingly, non-BJP and non-Congress parties are being expected to grab a major part of the Assembly pie this time. India News has forecast 23-28 seats for the BJP, 10-14 for the Congress, and as many as 19-26 seats for other parties. Results of the elections will be declared on March 10 after counting of votes.

The BJP had, during its campaigns, claimed that it had successfully created a bandh-free Manipur and bridged the hill-valley divide in the state. It promised to empower women and bring militant groups to the discussion table, if voted to power this time. PTI