National Approval Ratings: In Maharashtra, Congress-NCP projected to prove masterstroke, BJP and Shiv Sena to lose out

After the October and November editions, the National Approval Ratings conducted by Republic TV and CVoter is back with the December edition. With less than five months to go till the General elections 2019, Maharashtra, which has 48 seats, is expected to play a key role in determining which party/coalition forms the next government at the Centre.

The present ruling party in the state, BJP, was projected to be the winners in the previous two editions of the National Approval Ratings. But in December, there has been a huge shift in balance, majorly in terms of seat share.

Congress, which has confirmed an alliance with NCP, is predicted to make a huge jump. Their alliance UPA has been projected to win 30 seats, leaving the BJP well behind with just 16 seats, much fewer than what had been projected in the previous two editions. Shiv Sena, the other big player in Maharashtra, is projected to lose big time as compared to the previous two months, winning only two seats.

One of the biggest reason behind the projected fall of BJP is their failure to stitch an alliance in the state. While in terms of vote share, it is still bright for the party - they are expected to win 38 percent votes - the seat share is a major concern, especially when compared to their performance in 2014, when they had won 23.

On the other hand, Congress' decision to join hands with NCP is expected to be a masterstroke. Going alone, they had won just 2 seats in 2014, and were projected to win 14 seats as per the previous edition of the ratings. But forging an alliance with NCP has resulted in a massive gain for both the parties.

As for Shiv Sena, their constant push for Ram Mandir and tiff with BJP is not bearing any fruit. The party which won 18 seats in 2014 is only projected to win two, should elections take place in December.

The previous edition of the National Approval Ratings, which was conducted in November, had predicted that BJP-led NDA would manage to win 23 seats, one more than what was projected in the first edition. Congress-led UPA was projected to grow by two seats in comparison to the previous month, winning 14 seats. NCP and Shiv Sena were the two parties to lose out, falling down to 6 and 5 seats respectively.

In the first edition in October, NDA was projected to win 22 seats, with the UPA only managing 11. NCP and Shiv Sena were winning 8 and 7 seats respectively.