By Mohammed Kudrati
The exit polls provided by various channels show that Gujarat will authoritatively remain in the hands of the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) once again, though the hill state of Himachal Pradesh is neck and neck.
Three days from now on December 8, when the polls will be counted, the BJP will take more than two-thirds of the seats in Gujarat, according to the exit polls. In Himachal Pradesh, while the contest between the BJP and primary opposition Congress is close, the BJP is still marginally ahead.
Votes to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will also be counted, where governing Aam Aadmi Party will likely come to power, even though they may not make much headway in other state polls.
Himachal Pradesh went to the polls first on November 12. Gujarat voted in two phases: December 1 and today, December 5, where polling closed at 6 PM.
Gujarat
The state is a prestigious battleground, as it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah's home state. The BJP has been in power in the state for 27 years and if the exit polls prove right, the run is likely to continue.
After Modi became prime minister in 2014, the state has seen three chief ministers in a span of eight years: Anandiben Patel, Vijaya Rupani and Bhupendra Patel, who has been leading the state government since September last year.
The state has 182 seats up for grabs, making the majority mark 92 seats. Most polls are giving the BJP more than 120 seats, even near 130 seats. That's close to a two-third majority.
The primary opposition is the Congress, but the Aam Aadmi Party also ran a highly visible campaign, and the polls suggests that they may have bitten off into the Congress' vote.
The exit polls can be found below.
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh has been alternating between BJP and Congress governments for the past 30 years.
The opinion polls show the BJP slightly ahead, but the Congress remains within striking distance.
Incumbent Jai Ram Thakur has been chief minister since the BJP came to power in 2017.
The state assembly has 68 seats, and thus 35 is the majority mark.
The polls also show that other parties like the Aam Aadmi Party may not make their mark.
Its exit poll can be found below.
MCD
Polls to the MCD were held on December 4. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party is looking to dislodge the BJP, who is seeking a fourth consecutive term. The opinion polls suggest that it AAP will have the highest of the 250 wards going to the polls.
In 2012, then Chief Minister Sheila Dixit trifurcated a united MCD into three corporations: North Delhi, South Delhi and East Delhi.
However, it was reunified once again in a move that took effect from May 22.
