Friday, 17 May, 2024
By: Sutanu Guru
In Himachal, the Congress put up a spirited challenge while it was a lacklustre show in Gujarat for the Grand Old party. Image Source: IANS
The latest C Voter exit polls reveal a secular trend across India where incumbent parties get re elected despite seeming anti incumbency.
Elections in India in contemporary times have become a show case of pro incumbency verdicts. The exclusive C Voter Exit poll conducted on behalf of ABP News for the Gujarat and assembly elections shows the BJP retaining power in both the states. In Himachal, the Congress put up a spirited challenge while it was a lacklustre show in Gujarat for the Grand Old party. In Himachal, the incumbent government is usually voted out during an assembly elections. It doesn’t look likely this time. And in Gujarat, the BJP looks set to tide over 27 years of accumulated anti-incumbency and anger. Something similar was seen in Uttarakhand and Goa during assembly elections in early 2022. The BJP faced severe anti incumbency sentiments after 10 years of rule in Goa. Yet, it won the elections comfortably, leaving the Congress way behind. The prospects of the Congress regaining power in Uttarakhand were even brighter. The BJP had changed three chief ministers in six months and the Congress had a popular local leader like Harish Rawat. Yet, it failed to dislodge the BJP. Even in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP defied all odds when Yogi Adityanath won a second consecutive term in 2022.
The latest C Voter exit polls reveal a secular trend across India where incumbent parties get re elected despite seeming anti incumbency. C Voter had forecast a very narrow win for the Nitish Kumar led NDA in Bihar assembly elections in 2020. It happened. Exactly the same happened in West Bengal in 2021 where Mamata Bannerjee led her party to a famous third consecutive victory in assembly elections. The most surprising verdict came from Kerala where sitting CPI (M) chief minister Pinnari Vijayan defied history to win a second consecutive term in 2021. The latest C Voter exit polls offer food for thought for political analysts who seem to give ore importance to anti-incumbency.
