Goa exit polls 2017: Prospect of a hung House looms large

NEW DELHI: In Goa, the ruling BJP has an edge, with some exit polls predicting a simple majority and others projecting it to emerge as the single largest group in the 40-member

state assembly

.

One exit poll predicts that the BJP might just retain power as it can get between 18 and 22 seats. Congress will manage between 9 and 13 seats, while

AAP

is predicted to be at the bottom of the table, with a maximum of two seats.

MRC forecasts a much better showing for AAP, saying the party will secure 7 seats. It pegs the BJP at 15 seats, with Congress following in with 10 seats.

The CVoter poll said the BJP was expected to win 15-21 seats, the Congress and its allies 12-18 and the AAP 0-4 seats.

Defence minister and Goa native Manohar Parrikar may have called this year's elections as a four-cornered fight with three "weak sides", but the prospect of a hung assembly also looms large over the tiny coastal state.

Two of the three exit polls do not give a clear majority to any single party, as the golden number of 21 is required to form government in the 40-strong state assembly.

Goa, which went to polls on February 4, had a record-breaking 83 per cent voter turnout. The counting of votes in Goa will take place on March 11, along with four other states - Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Uttar Pradesh, where Assembly polls were held.