BJP looks set to retain power in Haryana, Maha: Pre-poll survey

The BJP appears set to retain power in both Haryana and Maharashtra where Assembly elections are slated for October 21 and the incumbent Chief Ministers Manohar Lal Khattar and Devendra Fadnavis are the most favoured choice for the top post in the respective states, a pre-poll survey has shown.

The survey, conducted by -CVoter between September 16 and October 16, revealed that 59.8 per cent people in Haryana think the BJP will win the elections to the 90-member Assembly.

On the other hand, only 15.8 per cent of those surveyed felt that the Congress would emerge victorious in the elections while 7.1 per cent thought the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), a breakaway faction of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), would win.

As regards the INLD, only 1.1 per cent of those asked felt that it would win the elections. The same percentage of people think that the BSP would win.

A large chunk of 14.2 per cent opted for "Don't know/Can't say" for the answer to this question, according to the survey.

On the question of best candidate to be the Chief Minister of Haryana, 40.3 per cent felt that incumbent Khattar was the right one while 19.9 per cent voted for Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

JJP founder-leader Dushyant Chautala was favoured by 14.2 per cent while 9.1 per cent were undecided.

In Maharashtra, 48.8 per cent of those surveyed feel that the BJP would win the elections to the 288-member Assembly, while only 10.6 per cent think the Congress could be the winner. Congress ally NCP was favoured by 11.3 per cent and BJP ally Shiv Sena was favoured by 9 per cent.

Interestingly, 8.1 per cent think the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance would win the elections and only 1.1 per cent believe the Congress-NCP coalition can win.

Only 0.2 per cent gave the BSP a chance to form a government in Maharashtra even as 8.9 per cent were undecided.

For the post of Chief Minister, Fadnavis was way ahead of others, with 34.7 per cent saying he is the best candidate for the job for a second term.

Udhhav Thackeray, chief of BJP ally Shiv Sena, was favoured only by 5.1 per cent of those surveyed while 6.8 per cent thought NCP chief Sharad Pawar was the best person for the post. Pawar's nephew Ajit Pawar was seen as the best candidate for the Chief Minister's post by 7.6 per cent people.

Maharashtra Navnirman Samiti (MNS) leader Raj Thackeray was favoured by 6 per cent and former Congress Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan by 3.5 per cent.

Union Minister and BJP leader Nitin Gadkari was thought to be the best person for the post of Chief Minister by 5.9 per cent.

Former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan of the Congress was given a chance by 4.1 per cent of those surveyed.

( With inputs from IANS )