Mixed Bag for Chandrababu and Jagan in Andhra Pradesh Exit Polls

Exit polls are contradicting each other in Andhra Pradesh, which held simultaneous polls for Lok Sabha and Assembly.

TDP leader Chandrababu Naidu (left) and YSRCP chief Jagan Mohan Reddy.

(Photo: PTI/Altered by The Quint)

The 2019 exit polls have thrown up quite a confusing mixed bag in Andhra Pradesh, which voted simultaneously for the Lok Sabha and the state Assembly in the first phase of polling in this general election.

While some exit polls predict that the YSRC led by Jagan Mohan Reddy will win a majority of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state, others forecast that Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP will hold sway once again, like it did in 2014.

The India Today-Axis, Times Now-VMR and News18-IPSOS exit polls for the Lok Sabha place YSRC ahead of TDP, while Republic-CVoter and Today’s Chanakya have predicted the opposite.

The India Today-Axis My India exit poll asserts that YSRC will win 18-20 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra, with TDP far behind at 4-6 seats. The ‘Others’ category will only get 0-1 seats, as per the survey. Most sharply in contrast with this exit poll is the one conducted by Today’s Chanakya which predicts 17 seats for the TDP and 8 for the YSRC.

Who Will Be Andhra’s Next CM?

Can TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu return as chief minister or will it be Jagan Mohan Reddy’s first stint as CM? As far as the Assembly polls go as well, the exit polls are contradicting each other.

In the 175-member state Assembly, India Today-Axis and People’s Pulse predict a YSRC victory but RG Flash’s exit poll survey shows TDP going past the magic figure of 88.

For the Assembly polls, India Today-Axis My India forecasts 119-135 seats for the YSRC, 39-51 for the TDP and a paltry 1-5 for independent candidates and other parties such as the Jana Sena. In contrast, a survey by local agency RG Flash predicts 65-79 seats for Jagan’s YSRC, 90-110 for Chandrababu’s TDP and 1-5 for others.

If there is one thing that is evident from the contradictory results of the exit polls in Andhra Pradesh, it is that pollsters do not always get it right. Now, only the real results on 23 May will end the speculation.