Cong to wrest Punjab, BJP has edge in U'khand: Survey

The Congress is set to take over Punjab from the rival BJP-Akali Dal alliance, but will have to see the saffron party holding on to power in Uttarakhand, said a Times of India report citing a STAR News-Nielsen opinion poll released on Monday. The poll predicted that the Congress will win 63 seats in the 117-member Punjab Assembly, while the ruling BJP-Akali Dal combine will win 53. [caption id=“attachment_191823” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Will the Congress win a majority in Punjab?”]  [/caption] In Uttarakhand, the poll said that the BJP will fare better than people’s expectations and end up with 39 seats giving it a majority in the 70-member assembly. Meanwhile, the poll suggested that the Mayawati-led BSP is unlikely to do well in both these states, which go to poll on 30 January. In Uttarakhand, the BSP will win a mere two seats, down from the eight they won in 2007. In Punjab, the survey found that the party will fail to win even a single seat despite the aggressive last-minute campaign by Mayawati. For more details on vote share projections in the poll-bound states, read the entire TOI article here.