After concluding the second phase of voting in Gujarat state, various channels, newspapers and news agencies began exit poll - the forecast of the result on the basis of polling - predicting that Modi could get the Chief Ministerial post once again as his party Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) is going to get clear majority.
The two-phase assembly elections ended on Monday in Gujarat with a record 70 percent polling and viewing this huge polling, election analysts were analyzing that Modi could get the third term in a row.
However, the official results are scheduled to be declared on 20th December and after its declaration, the final picture would be clear.
The Ananda Bazar Patrika-Nielsen survey gave 116 of the total 182 seats to the BJP. The Congress was placed a distant second with 60 seats.
C voters (Centre for Voting Opinion and Trends in Election Research) agency said Modi could bag upto 124 seats. It put 54 seats in the Congress kitty.
The News 24 Today Chanakya poll predicted a much higher 140 seats for the BJP and 40 to the Congress.
A supremely confident Modi, who has ruled Gujarat since 2001, gave a broad smile and flashed a V-sign with both hands after casting his ballot in his constituency Maninagar.
"The people of Gujarat will vote the BJP to power for a third consecutive term," he told the media triumphantly.
The Election Commission put Monday's voting percentage in 95 constituencies at 70.2 percent - higher than the 64.39 percent recorded in 1995. Gujarat has 37.8 million voters.
The first round of polling in 87 constituencies Dec 13 also drew 70.75 percentage of the voters.
Political pundits, however, seemed to agree broadly with exit poll predictions that Modi was set to get another five years - a result which could cast a shadow on national politics ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha battle.
Monday's polling - like the first round - was mostly peaceful except a firing incident involving BJP MLA Jetha Bharwad from Sahera in Panchmahal district, by and large the polling has ended peacefully.
According to media reports four people were injured in the firing and accused Bharwad has been detained for further investigation.
Millions of men and women thronged 23,318 polling centres in Kutch, north Gujarat and central Gujarat regions.
Narmada district recorded the highest voting - 82.17 percent.
The BJP contested all 182 seats. Both exit polls and pundits appeared to agree that former BJP chief minister Keshubhai Patel's Gujarat Parivartan Party (GPP) had not hurt the BJP as feared.
The Election Commission said 5,573 of the voters Monday were over 100 years old.
"It is a record turnout, highest so far in both the states Himachal and Gujarat. Narmada district in Gujarat has witnessed the highest, with 82.7 percent polling," said Sampath.
"Photo identification slips provided by the Commission (EC), full proof security measures, and arrangements for postal ballet have contributed significantly for such a heavy turnout," he added.
CEC thanked the voters, polling teams, security personnel, local administration, political parties, media and concerned state governments for their support and participation and informed that the counting process will take place at 39 stations in Himachal Pradesh and at 28 stations in Gujarat on December 20.
--With Agencies Inputs--
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