BJP confident about victory in West Bengal, exit polls suggest otherwise

The Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) shows confidence in getting a clear victory in West Bengal while the polls are suggesting TMC may form the government for a third time.

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New Delhi: A day after exit polls gave a divided opinion on the outcome of the West Bengal Assembly election, the BJP expressed confidence on Friday (April 30) that it will form the next government in the state by winning a majority of the seats after the votes are counted on Sunday (May 1).

"We will get a full majority and form the next government comfortably," BJP general secretary Bhupender Yadav, a key member of the party's brain trust, said.

Asked about a few poll forecasts that have given an edge to the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), headed by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, he exuded confidence that the saffron party will get people's blessings.

BJP's IT wing head Amit Malviya, who was actively involved in the campaign as the party's co-incharge for West Bengal, also expressed confidence about the saffron party forming its maiden government in the eastern state.

"We will win comprehensively," he said and dismissed those exit polls that have put the TMC ahead, saying that is not going to happen.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will very much form the next government, he added.

The exit polls on Thursday (April 29) forecast a tight contest between the incumbent TMC and the BJP in the high-profile West Bengal Assembly polls.

India Today-Axis My India predicted a neck-and-neck contest, giving the BJP 134-160 and the TMC 130-156 seats.

The Republic-CNX polls also gave the BJP a slight edge by projecting 138-148 seats for the party in the 294-member Assembly and 128-138 to the TMC.

However, Times Now-C Voter predicted a clear majority for the TMC by projecting 158 seats for the party and 115 for the BJP.

The Jan Ki Baat exit polls, however, predicted a strong majority for the BJP in West Bengal, giving it 162-185 seats, against 104-121 to the TMC.

The TMC had won 211 seats and the BJP only three in the 2016 West Bengal polls.

The Left-Congress alliance was forecast to be further marginalized in the fiercely bipolar contest.