NDA to fall short of majority mark: Survey

With just months to go for the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, Times Now-VMR opinion poll predicted that if the general elections were to be held immediately, the ruling NDA would emerge ahead of its competition but fall 20 seats short of the majority figure.

The poll surveyed 15,731 voters and arrived at the conclusion that the BJP-led NDA would win 252 seats, the Congress-led UPA would secure 147 seats and the remaining parties to get 144 seats, resulting into a hung house.

It also predicted that the BJP may lose 4.4 per cent of its vote share in the crucial state of Uttar Pradesh and would only mop up 27 of 80 seats while the SP-BSP alliance may get 51 seats and the Congress to get just two seats.

It predicted that the Congress would capitalise on its recent Assembly election victory in Hindi heartland states - Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh - in the coming Lok Sabha polls by gaining at least 17 seats more, where the grand old party had less than 10 seats total in 2014.

According to the opinion poll, NDA and UPA may share the equal number of seats (14-14) in Karnataka. Goa may also show the same trend (1-1)

Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Odisha, Assam, Jharkhand, Haryana, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli are going to give a maximum number of seats to NDA. Out of 11 seats in North Eastern states, the NDA may win 9, UPA would have only 1 seat and others 1.

Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Puducherry, Chandigarh and Lakshwadeep may give the edge to UPA over NDA.

According to the survey, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and West Bengal are to remain with regional parties from respective state. In Andhra Pradesh, Jaganmohan Reddy's YSR Congress may wrest most seats (23), while the ruling TDP will have only 2 seats. NDA and UPA will be nil.

In Telangana, TRS is likely to bag 10 seats, Congress (5), NDA (1) and Others (1). Mamata's Trinamool Congress will have maximum seats (32) and Left parties would be zero in West Bengal. BJP may gain 9 seats and Congress only a single seat.