Date:27/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/27/stories/2008112756991000.htm

National

Survey predicts Congress victory in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Congress may return to power for the third consecutive term in Delhi, according to a pre-poll survey which claimed that the party will lose its vote share by 4.3 per cent but still manage to pull through.

The survey conducted by Star TV claimed that the ruling Congress, which has 47 MLAs in the Assembly, will get 39 seats in the 70-member Assembly while the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will improve its tally from 20 to 27.

Its first survey in the last week of October had given Congress 38 seats and BJP 29. This survey, conducted between November 15 and 20, claimed that Congress will lose its vote share by 4.3 per cent from 2003’s 48.13 per cent. The BJP is poised to increase its share with 38 per cent votes as against last time’s 35.33 per cent. On the popularity chart, Sheila Dikshit is well ahead, with 43 per cent of the respondents favouring her as Chief Minister while BJP’s candidate V.K. Malhotra got only 16 per cent votes. – PTI