Cong seen to lose 11% vote share in Punjab, AAP to gain 15% to form govt
Darpan News Desk IANS, 07 Mar, 2022 01:19 PM
New Delhi, March 7 (IANS) The Punjab experiment of the Congress seemed to have failed, as per the ABP/C-Voter exit poll, with the last minute change in the leadership bringing its citadel down, while the AAP has gained more than 15 per cent votes over the last elections and is likely to form the government in the state.
In 2017, the Aam Aadmi Party had got around 23 per cent votes but the projections for this election is 39 per cent, while Congress seems to have lost around 11 per cent votes, against in last election's over 38 per cent now, to around 26 per cent and may see its tally come down from 77 seats to 25 seats.
But the surprising predictions are for the Shiromani Akali Dal, which fought in alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party, and may see its vote percentage come down from 25 per cent to 20 per cent but seats may rise to 23 from 15 in 2017, while the BJP may also win nine seats.
According to the exit poll projections, the AAP will oust another Congress government, after Delhi in 2013, winning 51-61 seats in the 117-seat Punjab Assembly.
The Bharatiya Janata Party's alliance with the newly-formed Punjab Lok Congress party of foe-turned-friend Capt Amarinder Singh might be able to secure only 10 seats in these elections.
Punjab has three regions -- Doaba, Malwa, and Majha.
According to the exit poll survey, of the 23 seats in the Doaba region -- a tie is expected between Congress and AAP with each securing 7 while the SAD may get 5 and the BJP 3.
The SAD might outrun all its rivals by securing 8 of the 25 seats in the Majha region, while the Congress is expected to get 7 seats, the AAP 6, and the BJP 4.
The third and most important Malwa region, with 69 seats, might turn the tables in Punjab as, according to the exit poll, it might see the AAP winning 43 seats, while the Congress might get 11 and SAD 10 seats, and while BJP might have to settle with only 3.
The alliance promised Rs 10 lakh free annual health insurance for all Punjabis, Rs 2,000 per month to all women heads of 'blue card' families, 5 lakh houses and five marla plots each to homeless poor and hiking old-age pension to Rs 3,100 and shagun scheme of Rs 75,000.
In an interview to IANS, Ashwani Kumar, who was perceived as a loyalist of the Gandhi family and had supported against the 'G23' , said it was getting difficult to continue in the party. He also said he is open to join any other party.
Promising to work on the teachings of Sikh gurus with principles of non-discrimination and equality for all, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that the NDA would form the government in Punjab and would free the state from drugs.
The government can't restrict fundamental rights in the garb of maintaining public order, the counsel for the girl students seeking permission to wear the hijab told the Karnataka High Court on Monday.
On February 14, 2019, a suicide bomber of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror group attacked the CRPF convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district in which 40 personnel were killed.
The Customs officials on Sunday recovered an unclaimed bag containing 'cocaine capsules' valued at Rs 15 crore from the Indira Gandhi International Airport here, an official said. The official said that it was seized and a case was lodged and efforts were being made to identify the accused who abandoned the bag.
