Zee News Maha Exit Poll 2019 updates: BJP makes big gain in West Bengal, TMC still in pole position

Zee News will show the "poll of polls" which will include details of all the exit poll surveys released by different pollsters and TV news channels.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) Chief Mamata Banarjee is expected to hold her grip over West Bengal, winning 29 seats out of total 42 in the just concluded Lok Sabha elections. The fiery leader is, however, seen unable to stop rival BJP from making massive inroads in the eastern state and snap 11 seats, according to IANS-CVoter Exit Poll.

The exit poll has predicted 39.2 per cent vote share for the TMC in the state. The BJP is likely to have 32.3 per cent vote share suggesting its extensive campaign has yielded desired outcome. Moreover, the party led by Amit Shah and Narendra Modi has put the CPM on the margins. The Left party is unlikely to win any seat in the state.

With 11 seats in the state, BJP is likely to make up for the loss in UP and also deepen its presence. 

The Congress which is struggling to make itself relevant in the state is predicted to win only 2 seats. The grand old party`s vote share could be reduced to 11.4 per cent in the state, as per the Exit Poll.

The polling in West Bengal took place in 42 constituencies in seven phases and a total of 466 candidates are in the fray. However, violence and ruckus were witnessed in the state during polling in all the phases. 

Here are what Exit Polls predicted for West Bengal:

* I don’t trust Exit Poll gossip. The game plan is to manipulate or replace thousands of EVMs through this gossip. I appeal to all Opposition parties to be united, strong and bold. We will fight this battle together: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee

* ABP predicts 24 seats for TMC, 16 seats for BJP, and Congress+ 2 seats 

* India Today Axis Poll predicts TMC will win 19-22 seats, BJP 19-23 seats, and Congress 0-1 seat.

* Republic-Jan ki Baat has predicted 18 to 26 seats for BJP, and 13 to 21 for TMC.

* Republic-CVoter has predicted 29 seats for the TMC and 11 seats for the BJP.

* Times Now VMR has predicted 11 seats for the BJP, 2 seats for the Congress+, 28 seats for the TMC and 1 seat for Others.

* News 18 IPSOS--The TMC is set to retain its grip on Bengal as the News18's IPSOS exit poll predicts 25 to 28 seats for the Mamata-led party of the 33 seats that went to polls in the first six phases. The BJP is predicted to be securing numbers between 3-7 here.

* The voting in nine constituencies in West Bengal was held in the seventh and last phase of the Lok Sabha election on Sunday. The constituencies where polling was held are -- Dum Dum, Barasat, Basirhat, Jaynagar, Mathurapur, Diamond Harbour, Jadavpur, Kolkata Dakshin, and Kolkata Uttar. 

* The campaigning in all the other states going to polls in the seventh phase ended on Friday, the Election Commission curtailed the campaigning in West Bengal 20 hours ahead of schedule, in the wake of violence between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers in Kolkata. Parts of Kolkata witnessed widespread violence during BJP president Amit Shah's massive roadshow in the city. A bust of 19th century Bengali icon Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar was also vandalised during the violence.

* The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the BJP are the main contenders in the battlefield followed by the Congress and the Left Front. The constituencies saw high profile campaigning by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, state Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, BJP president Amit Shah and Congress president Rahul Gandhi who raised a plethora of issues ranging from corruption to communalism, NRC to chit fund scams and development to security. The polling and campaigning also witnessed violence, assaults and ruckus.

* Voting in eight Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal was held on May 12 in the sixth phase of Lok Sabha election amid unprecedented security arrangements put in place by the EC. Seats in which elections were held on Sunday are Tamluk, Kanthi, Ghatal, Jhargram (ST), Medinipur, Purulia, Bankura and Bishnupur (SC), where an electorate of 1,33,69,749 will decide the fate of 83 candidates. The EC had deployed a total of 770 companies of central forces.