Today’s Chanakya gives BJP alliance 155 seats, JD-U alliance 83

Today’s Chanakya, a public opinion polling company, on Thursday predicted that the BJP-led alliance will win 155 seats in the Bihar assembly, while the Grand Alliance will win 83.

According to a Today’s Chanakya press release, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance would get 46 percent votes (with a margin error of 3 percent) which would translate into it getting “155 plus or minus 11 seats”.

It said the Nitish Kumar-led alliance — which has the Janata Dal-United, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress — would get 39 percent votes (with a margin error of 3 percent) and win “83 plus or minus 9 seats.”

Other parties were predicted to win 15 percent votes (with a margin error of 3 percent) and win “5 plus or minus 3 seats.”

Polling for the five-phased Bihar assembly elections ended on Thursday.

Giving a caste break-up, the release said 66 percent of Brahmins and Baniyas were predicted to have voted for the BJP-led alliance and 15 percent for the Grand Alliance.

For Bhumihars, the percentage was 61 percent for NDA, 23 percent for the Grand Alliance, for Kurmis it was 15 percent and 71 percent, Kushwahs 49 percent and 36 percent, Muslims 9 percent and 85 percent, Yadavs 17 percent and 66 percent, Rajputs 69 percent and 15 percent and OBCs (Other Backward Classes) 50 percent and 33 percent.

The release said there was “strong inclination of women voters towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi and not towards BJP”.

“Among the women voters who decided their voting intention towards the JD-U alliance, we have seen differential voting. On seats where there was an RJD candidate, these women voters have shifted from the JD-U alliance towards Modi,” the release said.

“This shifting pattern is seen both in rural and urban areas throughout the state,” it added.

Today’s Chanakya said the respondent sample size was 7,865