Exit polls for Rajasthan, a state that went to polls on Friday, show a clear lead to the Congress. The state saw high a voter turnout of 72.6%.
Rajasthan voted for 199 out of the 200 assembly constituencies. Polls in Alwar district's Ramgarh constituency was postponed due to the death of Bahujan Samaj Party candidate Laxman Singh. The majority mark in the 200-seat Assembly is 101.
Since the 1993 Assembly polls, Rajasthan has been voting out the party that has been in power. No party has stayed in power for more than one term in the state for the past 25 years. In 2013, the Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government came to power winning a thumping majority. The BJP had won 163 seats while the Congress only managed 21. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) had also won three seats in the last assembly election.
Of the five surveys that announced their numbers, four predicted a lead for the Congress and one predicted a neck-and-neck race between the BJP and the Congress.
- The India Today-Axis My India exit polls gave Congress 119-141 seats and BJP 55-72.
- The Times Now-CNX poll predicted Congress to win 105 seats and BJP 85 seats.
- Republic-CVoter gave Congress 129-145 seats and BJP 52-68.
- Republic-Jan Ki Baat has predicted Congress to win 81-101 and the BJP to get 83-103.