Exit poll shows neck-and-neck race in Uttaranchal

An exit poll by a leading news channel on Wednesday predicted a hung Assembly in Uttaranchal with the ruling Congress and opposition Bharatiya Janata Party set to get the same number of 25 to 35 seats in the 70-member House.

The survey by NDTV 24x7 projected a gain for the BJP, which, it predicted, will get 25-35 seats as against 19 it won in the 2002 Assembly elections.

It predicted same number of seats for Congress, which had won 36 seats last time, despite the much-feared anti-incumbency factor.

According to the survey, Bahujan Samaj Party is set to get 10-13 seats, up from 7, Uttarkhand Kranti Dal 5-8, which had won 4 seats in 2002, and others between 1 and 5. Others, including Independents, had won 4 seats in 2002.

The survey shows a neck-and-neck race between the two major parties and throws up the possibility of a hung Assembly.

In such a situation the BSP and the UKKD will play a major role in formation of the government. A total of 32,178 samples were taken from the three regions -- Terai, Kumaon and Garhwal -- of the state for the survey.

Meanwhile, these are the results of an exit poll conducted for Star News by AC Nielsen. 7,200 people were questioned across 29 constituencies in the state.

The poll said the BJP will get 33 seats, Congress 25 seats, and others 11 seats. Others include BSP (5 seats), UKKD (3 seats), Independents and smaller parties.

With Inputs from Star News