New Delhi, Nov 6: Exit polls were split on the results of election to Bihar Assembly which concluded in five phases on Thursday.
Around 60 per cent polling was registered in the final phase which ended peacefully in 57 constituencies spread over seven districts of the state.
Three of the nine surveys at the end of five rounds of polling predicted a clear win for the Bharatiya Janata Party and another gave an upper hand to it while five exit polls forecast a narrow or clear majority in the 243-member house to the Grand Alliance.
Despite the exit poll suspense, leaders of both the BJP and the Grand Alliance — the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) of Nitish Kumar and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) of Lalu Prasad — were optimistic about victory.
Former Chief Minister of the State Lalu Prasad insisted that the Grand Alliance, which also includes the Congress, was poised to win 190 seats.
While Today’s Chanakya gave 155 of the 243 seats to the BJP and its three allies, NewsX-CNX said the JD-U and its allies would get 135 seats. It forecast a mere 83 seats to the JD-U, the RJD and the Congress.
In contrast, NewsX said the BJP and its allies — the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) — would win only 95 seats.
Other exit polls predicted a close outcome.
Any party or combine would need 122 seats to secure a wafer thin majority in the 243-member assembly.
An India Today-Cicero exit poll predicted a hung assembly, with the BJP-led alliance winning 120 seats to 117 by the Grand Alliance.
