Gujarat Election Results: Vijay Rupani said that exit polls had underestimated BJP's performance
In Gujarat, where
exit polls have predicted a BJP government, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has said that the party would exceed these forecasts
and win 150 seats.A poll of exit polls,
an aggregate of 10 exit polls conducted in Gujarat, have predicted a clear majority for the BJP with 116 seats in the 182-seat assembly.
The party needs 92 seats to form the government. The Congress, according to this poll of exit polls, is expected to win around 65 seats, a slight improvement over its 2012 tally when it won 61 seats.
The assertion of Mr Rupani, who spoke before most exit polls had been announced, indicated that the exit polls had underestimated the BJP's performance.
Gujarat Election Results: Congress' Mani Shankar Aiyar courted controversy with his remarks about PM Modi
"We will get more than 150 seats... That was our target," Mr Rupani has said, confident that a slight drop in the percentage of people who voted in the 2017 elections as compared to the 2012 elections would not adversely impact the BJP's performance.
The BJP has governed Gujarat for two decades. The campaign this year for the opposition has been led by Congress President Rahul Gandhi and has involved acrid attacks and counters.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has alleged that senior Congress leaders including former premier Dr Manmohan Singh colluded with Pakistani officials at a dinner event in Delhi earlier this month in an attempt to influence the Gujarat result.
The Congress' epic own-goal was its leader,
Mani Shankar Aiyar, referring to the PM as "Neech" (lowlife), after which he was suspended from the party.
Gujarat election results will be announced today.