Exit poll results for the Uttarakhand Assembly elections, in which 70 constituencies had gone to the polls last month, indicate a drop in the seat share of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), predicting a close battle with the Congress.
Reacting to the exit polls, Uttarakhand CM and BJP leader Pushkar Singh Dhami said, "People of Uttarakhand have shown faith in us and we will form the government."
While Times Now-Veto projected a BJP majority with the party winning 37 out of the 70 seats, the ABP-CVoter projections indicated that the Congress might grab 32-38 seats. Zee News-DesignBoxed, meanwhile, predicted 35-40 seats for the Congress.
Held on 14 February, the Uttarakhand Assembly elections saw a 62.5 percent voter turnout across the 13 districts. The votes will be counted on 10 March.
632 candidates were in the fray across the state's 70 constituencies
The number of polling booths was increased by 623 to 11,447
In the state's previous elections that were held in 2017, the BJP, led by Trivendra Singh Rawat, had won by an overwhelming margin, bagging 57 of the 70 seats
The Congress had finished second with 11 seats, and the remaining two seats had gone to Independent candidates
'People Have Shown Faith in Us, We Will Form Government': CM Pushkar Singh Dhami
"All exit polls are showing that BJP will form government with majority. Some are showing 45 seats, some 47 seats but I believe there will be more seats when the final result is out. People of Uttarakhand have shown faith in us and will form government," Uttarakhand CM and BJP leader Pushkar Singh Dhami claimed, even as some exit polls projected Congress win by a slender margin.
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