Congress to emerge as single largest party in Punjab: Opinion poll

The survey by India Today-Axis Opinion poll released on Thursday said the Congress is likely to emerge as the single largest party with 49 to 55 seats in the 2017 Punjab assembly polls.
The survey gave the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) 42-46 seats in the 117-seat Punjab assembly and predicted a rout for the ruling SAD-BJP alliance at 17-21 seats.
The opinion poll also predicted 33% vote share for the Congress and 30% for the AAP. It said 33% voters want Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh to return as chief minister against 25% batting for Parkash Singh Badal.
Amarinder was quick to welcome the survey as just the beginning of the end of SAD’s “misrule” in Punjab.
The survey was conducted about a month ago and the proCongress wave has strengthened since then, he said, adding that his party was clearly headed for a clear majority in the House. The SAD trashed the survey as “spurious, unscientific and sponsored” saying it was nothing but “paid news”.
Party’s Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Gujral said it was a “good omen” for his party as the India Today survey in 2012 too had predicted landslide victory for the Congress with 69 seats but the party could muster only 46.