NEW DELHI, May 12 � Exit polls have predicted an unprecedented victory for the BJP and major reversal of fortunes for the Congress party in the North-east, where it is unlikely to reach a double digit figure, indicating a saffron wave in the region.
Have the voters in the North-east opted for a total change? If the exit poll conducted by AC Nelsen and ABV Star News is anything to go by, the Congress party is likely to receive a major drubbing in the North-east.
The exit poll has predicted 12 seats for the BJP, seven for the Congress and six seats for other parties.
The figures are sure to stump Congressmen in the region, as the party was hoping to do well in Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Mizoram.
What should worry Tarun Gogoi though, is that Today�s Chanakya has predicted a sharp increase in vote share (43 per cent) for the BJP in Assam, taking its seat tally to 8 (plus-minus 2), while the Congress party�s vote share has also increased to 37 per cent, but its seat tally has decreased to four (plus-minus 2). In 2009, the Congress vote share was around 34 per cent and the BJP�s 16 per cent.
Though the breakup was not available, Assam with 14 seats is likely to be hit the hardest, if the exit poll prediction is anything to go by. Chief Minister Gogoi himself is likely to come in the firing line.
AICC insiders claim that it expects to win about six seats in Assam, one in Arunachal Pradesh, two in Manipur and one each in Mizoram and Meghalaya. On the other hand, a euphoric BJP hopes to win five seats in Assam, one in Arunachal Pradesh, while NDA allies PA Sangma and N Rio are expected to win two other seats.
Tarun Gogoi, who is facing a renewed threat from disgruntled MLAs, is expected to face the heat, as he had claimed to wrest 13 of the 14 seats and even said that he would step down if the party fails to match its 2009 tally of seven seats.
