ABP News Exit Poll: BJP makes massive inroads into Mamata's territory, set to win 16 seats in West Bengal

The BJP is set to make deep inroads into the Trinamool Congress territory of West Bengal in 2019 Lok Sabha elections, according to an exit poll conducted by ABP News. The saffron party, which has been targeting West Bengal over the past couple of years, is slated to win 16 seats in the state, adding 14 Lok Sabha constituencies to its tally of two in previous polls.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Photo: Getty Images

NEW DELHI: The BJP is set to make deep inroads into the Trinamool Congress territory of West Bengal in 2019 Lok Sabha elections, according to an exit poll conducted by ABP News. The saffron party, which has been targeting West Bengal over the past couple of years, is slated to win 16 seats in the state, adding 14 Lok Sabha constituencies to its tally of two in previous polls. The TMC, which swept the 2014 general elections in the state by bagging 34 Lok Sabha seats, may be reduced 24 seats. The Congress, which won four seats in 2014, may get only two seats. The state, which has witnessed the most bitter electioneering this time between the TMC and the BJP, went to polls in all seven phases. The BJP had gone all out to make electoral gains in West Bengal, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself holding several rallies. Party chief Amit Shah has also addressed many public meetings besides holding road shows in the state.

#ABPExitPoll2019 - TMC (24) suffers heavy loss in West Bengal (42 seats), massive gains for BJP (16). Left fails to open account. BJP+ 16 Cong+ 2 TMC 24 LIVE Coverage: https://t.co/DklVA2CsOX pic.twitter.com/EMcvGBSEiL

— ABP News (@abpnewstv) May 19, 2019

The state has witnessed the most bitter election campaign this time, which was accompanied by violence during all the six phases of polling. The latest episode of violence was witnessed during a road show of Amit Shah, with the statue of Ishwar Chandra Bandyopadhyay, an icon of West Bengal, being vandalised. In view of the violence, the Election Commission (EC) took an unprecedented step of curtailing poll campaign in the state by a day as it ordered stoppage of poll campaigning from 10 p.m. on Thursday in the nine Lok Sabha constituencies.