DHAKA: An RSS internal survey has suggested that the NDA may not get an absolute majority – another cause of worry for the top RSS, which necessitates its presence in Delhi to be available to guide the party if the situation warrants.
According to the exit poll conducted by the Sheela Bhatt/Rediff.com, Bharatiya Janata Party BJP would secure 226 seats in this election.
The BJP-RSS's assessment is that the Telugu Desam Party will win eight seats, the Shiv Sena around 10 to 12 seats and Akali Dal will get five seats.
Sources privy to the RSS survey said the BJP will win 45 of the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh and 18 out of the 40 seats in Bihar. The BJP tally in some other states is projected to be: Gujarat 21 out of 26, Rajasthan 21 out of 25, Madhya Pradesh 22 out of 29, Maharashtra 18 out of 48, Delhi 5 out of 7, Punjab 2 out of 13, Jammu and Kashmir 2 out of 6, Chhattisgarh 9 out of 11, and Goa both the seats.
This will take the NDA tally to 259 seats.
This survey, done on the basis of feedback from BJP-RSS workers at the booth level, has given Narendra Modi the confidence to start packing his bags in Gandhinagar.
Modi came to Gandhinagar unexpectedly. He became the chief minister without even fighting an election. And today he has become the most powerful leader in the Sangh Parivar because he is capable of winning election after election.
The Sangh's winning star has become so powerful that he will decide who should carry on his legacy in Gujarat once he shifts to New Delhi.
Chart-1
The column in orange is the RSS exit poll which gives BJP 226 seats which when combined with NDA allies brings Modi within grasp of the half way mark.
The green column has factored in assumed setbacks to RSS calculations in just a handful of states and the tally comes down easily to 172 seats. This is just to illustrate how easy it is for exit polls to go wrong – just a couple of seats here and there state to state – the whole trend radically changes.
Those states missing on the list are the ones where the BJP doesn't expect to win any seats.
BDST: 0958 HRS, MAY 15, 2014
