All the channels placed the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress in the third and fourth positions respectively. If the predictions come true, the BSP and the Congress will turn out to be the biggest losers.
It is regime change in Uttar Pradesh, according to exit poll projections released on Saturday by television channels. Although seat estimates varied across the channels, they were unanimous in predicting the departure of the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party. Headlines Today and CNN-IBN predicted an absolute majority for the Samajwadi Party led by Mulayam Singh in the 403-member Assembly, while Star News-AC Neilson said the party would be just short of a majority.
In another common feature, all the channels placed the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress in the third and fourth positions respectively. If the predictions come true, the BSP and the Congress will turn out to be the biggest losers. In 2007, the BSP formed the first majority government in U.P. in 16 years. From that to being placed a distant second to arch-rival SP will be an enormous slide for the party. The Congress had banked heavily on the charisma of Rahul Gandhi, hyping the election as its chance to cross the 100-mark.
Headlines Today gave a seat range of between 195 and 210 to the SP, followed by 88-98 seats to the BSP, 50-56 to the BJP and 38-42 to the Congress and its alliance partner, the Rashtriya Lok Dal. CNN-IBN did not venture into seat projections but guaranteed an absolute majority to the SP, which, the channel said, would secure around 34 per cent, the highest polled by any party since the BJP wave of 1991. Star News-AC Neilson and India TV-C Voter gave more conservative estimates. The former gave the SP 183 seats, followed by the BSP with 83, the BJP 71 and the Congress-RLD 62. The corresponding figures projected by India TV-C Voter were the SP 137-145; the BSP 122-130; the BJP 79-87 and the Congress 39-55.
Congress ahead in 3 States
PTI reports:
The exit polls predict that the Congress will have a clear edge in Punjab, Uttarakhand and Manipur. In Goa, one of the channels has predicted an edge for the BJP over the ruling Congress.
In Goa, India TV-C projected the BJP getting 20 seats, followed by the Congress with 17. Others were shown emerging victorious in three constituencies.
The same team forecast a Congress victory in Punjab (65) followed by the Akali Dal-BJP combine winning 47 and others getting five.
In Uttarakhand, News24-Today's Chanakya gave the Congress an edge with 30 seats and the BJP 28. Others were given 12 seats.
The same team forecast a win for the Congress in Punjab, with the party getting 60 seats, followed by the Akali Dal-BJP combine getting 52. Others were projected to win five seats.
In Manipur, the team forecast a Congress win with 25 seats, followed by the NCP (10 seats) and the Trinamool Congress (9).
“Rahul not to blame”
Talking to journalists on Saturday, AICC general secretary in charge of U.P. Digvijay Singh said Rahul Gandhi should not to be blamed if the Congress did not perform well in the State.
“A leader creates an atmosphere. To convert that atmosphere into votes and seats is the responsibility of candidates and the organisation,” he said.
Both he and party spokesperson Rashid Alvi dismissed the exit polls, some of which placed Congress in the fourth position in the State.
Keywords: Exit polls, Uttar Pradesh elections, UP polls, Assembly polls, Samajwadi Party








Another dark era to engulf UP, whichever party comes to power. Democracy and development will receive a severe setback. Horse trading will be the order and no benefits will reach people.
In case exit polls are right then I don't know how I will react.Its good that BSP will not come in power but power will go from corrupts to dons.
Exit polls are so accurate nowadays that it would be more cost effective if these verdicts are accepted instead of spending crores of rupees on election. Not.
Mayavathi made a huge mistake. She drew attention to herself rather overly. Presenting herself as a invulnerable Goddess of sorts she invited the collective anger of voters who were tired of her gimmicky actions which included unveiling her statues all over the place. No wonder, she has been shown the exit in the exit polls which reflect the real results to come. Now that she is being put out to pasture she should learn some yoga and humility.
Although regime change was in offing in UP from quiet a few months and SP was surging ahead on back of strong anti incumbency wave the margin of victory might be a surprise.The media should at least wake up now and realize that their favorite poster boy rahul gandhi who was given excessive coverage proved to be a dud in the polls.Mulayam should not become head strong with this mandate rather he should tread path of development like nitish kumar,modi else he will meet fate of mayawati
Should get ready to accept Samajwadi Party..Now the question is Mulayam
or Akhilesh?? If the later then this would change his political career
for ever, and bring us a new political icon for upcoming years...
with congress projected to be placed fourth in the elections in uttar pradesh,the claim of the congress leadership that rahul gandhi will get votes for the party has been proved wrong. the grand old party of india has to relegate the nehru family to tbe background to find it moorings right in indian polity.
The reaction by Congress leaders is funny indeed! "Rahul not to be
blamed"! Had the exit polls predicted a good showing for Congress, the same Congressmen would have been singing paeans about the great "youth leader" Rahul! Congress party and Congress leaders have become the joke of the nation!
Congress and BJP failed to project a CM candidate that proved
disasterous for them. SP can form government with support from congress
is the only possibility.Presidential rule can be totally ruled out.
After a long time the UP has seen more than 60% of voting which clearly indicates the awarness of the public of UP even in villages. Last five year term of BSP has not been fruitfull for them.SP has got the benefit of it but the contribution of enthusiastic campaign of akhilesh yadaw can not be ignored.
The result will be the doom for future of young prince of congress. He
has devoted all his entire energy for the last 6 months continuously in
UP. He has crisscrossed entire hamlets of UP and met farmers and
minorities and even ready to divide the nation on the basis of caste and
religion by minority quota. But the opinion polls give him a slap on his
face. Let us wait till 6th March to make the story in to real.
We can not come to a conclusion on Exit Polls.Let us wait and see on 6
March.Possibilities of BSP loosing because of their Delivery.Ultimately
People has got the Upper hand to change the Administration.UP Election
results will decide the future of Congress Party.
If the exit poll results come true, SP will be able to form a government with the help of the Congress. It will be a blunder on the part of Congress to let go this opportunity of supporting the SP to form a government. Both the Congress party and BJP have to seriously introspect why their party has performed below expectations. Perhaps the actual number of votes polled by these parties may be some consolation to the party leaders. Rahul Gandhi would also examine what next. Ms. Mayawati’s BSP has to blame itself for the poor show.
Congress failed to project the next chief ministerial candidate for UP. Instead, it lost its way by projecting Rahul as the next prime ministerail candidate. No voter in UP would be interested in such futile projection relegating to the background the local issues. To add to the discomfiture of the congress party obsessed with dynastic rule, Robert Vadra has disclosed the one family agenda of eternally ruling a billion plus country. If Congress party gets the drubbing it deserves from all counts, the country will be sterilised and insulated from the proxy rulers.
These exit polls do not surprise many. Mulayam will be joined by Congress
as outside support for forming the Govt.in U.P. This way Congress will be able to protect its Govt at the centre.*** There are chances that UPA II may loose power at the centre and may hold mid term elections before it is too late.***Now they will be out of Maharashtra/ and U.P/ Andhra Pradesh/ T.Nadu besides loosing other states in 2014 general elections.
It is high time Congress owned up to reality, the era of spin and empty promises added with misgovernment, with record number of scams and progress being recorded at a trickle pace all this cannot be smoke screened any more. To move forward the politics of past must be eliminated and that goes with Congress the party who has been in power forever and very little to show for it. In addition the major ills have not been curtailed in-fact they have propagated under congress. If India has to survive in the future Congress has to go.
The UP Voters have choosen the lesser of the 2 evils. Mayawathi was out of the equation, so they had to choose between SP and Congress, they chose Mulayam.
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