This Article is From Dec 05, 2013

Exit polls show 4-0 sweep for BJP, battlelines drawn in Parliament

Exit polls show 4-0 sweep for BJP, battlelines drawn in Parliament
New Delhi: Both houses of Parliament were adjourned today after obituary references, but a buoyant BJP is all geared up to put the government on the mat tomorrow, after exit polls predicted a sweep for it in Assembly elections in four major states, being seen as a semi-final before general elections due by May.

"If the Congress were to lose, which seems likely, you'll have a lame-duck government for the next few months. The government had already lost its legitimacy, it will lose political relevance also," said the BJP's Arun Jaitley, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha. (Watch)

Polling was held in Delhi yesterday and votes for four states where elections were held in the last one month will be counted on Sunday.

The "exit poll of polls", an average of exit polls conducted by different agencies, shows that the BJP is set to register convincing wins in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and has a clear edge in Delhi, where the Aam Aadmi Party makes an extra-ordinary debut. (Read)

Already, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has written to the Prime Minister accusing the government of pushing a Communal Violence Bill "that is ill conceived and poorly drafted." He has said that the bill is an attempt to "encroach on the authority of state governments." (Read)

The Communal Violence Bill is among a set of key legislations that the government has planned for the 12-day winter session of Parliament, which began today. The BJP has questioned the timing, accusing the government of trying to consolidate minority votes with an eye on general elections.  

"We will try to arrive at a broad consensus," what the PM said on the Communal Violence bill. He said it was "obligatory for all parties to get all possible legislations and pending business done."

It is one of the last chances for his government to prepare ground for the 2014 elections.

It has promised a bill on Telangana and also wants to push through the women's reservation bill in the Lok Sabha, which ally Samajwadi Party opposes, and the Lokpal Bill.
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