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Indian Polls

Battle for heartland states heats up as exit polls show BJP lead

Paijab Bhattacharya, New mm
India's top politicians hit the campaign trail in key northern heartland states yesterday after the first exit polls conducted by leading television news channels projected the ruling BJP-lcd NDA ahead of main opposition Congress and its regional allies.
The updated figure put out by the Election Commission says an estimated 50 to 55 percent of the 175 million voters turned out in the first phase of polling, compared to 60 percent in 1999.
'By and large, polling was peaceful and things were under control,' Deputy Election Commissioner AN Jha said.
Prime Minister Atal Behari
Vajpayee was chairing a "review" meeting of his BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) in New Delhi a day after more than 100 million people turned out to elect 140 Mi’s to the 545-mcmbcr lowerhouseofparliament.
Fighting to save the fortunes of her party, Sonia Gandhi, the Italian -born head of the Congress, addressed public rallies in searing heat in the most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, which holds the key to power nationally, Reuters reports.
Gandhi said the BJP, witich her party says is biased against the nation's 120 million Muslims, remained a threat to the country's secular traditions and must be kept away from power, the news agency adds.
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Vajpayee's BJP played down its hardline Hindu image and campaigned on a feel-good platform of economic growth and peace with Pakistan.
Voters' turnout in two constituen-ciesin Jammu and Kashmir was 40-45 percent despite threat by militants.
EXIT POLLS
The exit polls from initial voting in national elections show the Congress narrowing the lead of the ruling Hindu nationalists in the race for the 543-member Lok Sabha.
The exit polls put out by five TV networks predict that NDA (National Democratic Alliance) is likely to get 70 to 93 seats out of the 140 seats in the first-phase polling. The Congress and its allies are projected to secure between 41 and 53 seats and shown to be gaining more.
The NDTV exit poll gave NDA 7080 seats out of the 140 seats which went to poll in the first phase followed by Congress and its allies with 50-60 seats.
Assuming the trend persists in the remaining four phases of elections, the NDTV exit poll shows NDA will finish with 260-280 seats at the national level followed by Congress and allies with 165 to 185 seats and 100-115 for others.
While exit poll by popular Hindi news channel Aaj Tak gives NDA 93 of the 140 seats in the first phase, the same conducted by Star News project the ruling alliance to get 80 seats. Congress and allies are projected by Aaj Tak to get 44 and by Star News 53 seats.
The Sahara news channel exit poll shows the saffron party-led combine getting 82 seats and Congress bagging 55.
The Congress is shown by all five exit polls to be making major gains in Andhra Pradesh and (barring NDTV) also in Maharashtra but facing setback in Karnataka whereit is the ruling party.
Given the scenario, BJP leaders might think in terms of looking for new political allies in the post-poll situation and how to tread the tricky ground of coalition politics with all its pulls and pressures.
The BJPleaders are now busy finetuning their strategy for the remaining four phases of the elections which will cover the key state of Uttar Pradesh which has the highest number of 80 seats and where the party is hoping to do better than in 1999 when it had got 30 seats.
Meanwhile, Congress reiterated that exit polls should not be made public till the last phase of polling on May 10. The party, which had urged the Election Commission to take an early decision on the issue of banning exit polls, said airing exit polls at the end of each phase of polling would influence the subsequent phases.
Congress spokesman Abhishek Singvi said the party was not opposed to exit polls per se but was only against their broadcast before voting was completed in all constituencies across the country.
But the Election Commission virtually ruled out a ban on exit polls. "The commission feels that the only way to regulate exit polls is through legislation. We have sought legal advice as to what can be done," Deputy Election Commissioner AN Jha said.
The second phase of polling covering 137 parliamentary constitu-enciesis slated for April 26.