VoteVibe–CNN-News18 Pre-Poll Survey: Election dates have been announced for Assembly polls in West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Among these, the West Bengal election is drawing the most attention. Speculation is rife over whether Mamata Banerjee’s All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) will retain power or if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) can form the government this time. A fresh pre-poll survey now offers some insights into the likely outcome, suggesting a return to power for the TMC.
The survey, conducted by VoteVibe and released by CNN-News18, projects that the ruling TMC could secure a fourth consecutive term in West Bengal. According to the findings, the party is expected to win between 184 and 194 seats out of the total 294 Assembly constituencies -- well above the majority mark.
The BJP is estimated to win between 98 and 108 seats, while smaller and regional parties are likely to have a limited presence in the Assembly.
The survey also gives TMC an edge in vote share, with 41.9% respondents backing the ruling party, compared to 34.9% support for the BJP. A significant number of respondents also expressed satisfaction with current TMC MLAs, with 36.5% saying they would vote for them again.
West Bengal, which has 294 Assembly seats, will go to polls in two phases on April 23 and April 29, considerably fewer than the eight phases seen in the previous election. The results for all seats will be declared on May 4.
The contest in the state is largely seen as a direct face-off between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the BJP, although the Congress and Left parties are also attempting to regain lost ground.
