Ronaldinho ignites Durga Puja festivities, casts spell on Kolkata football fans
Kolkata (PTI): Wearing his infectious goofy grin, 'Samba Magician' Ronaldinho cast a spell on the football-crazy denizens of Kolkata as his arrival for a two-day visit here ushered in an early onset of the Durga Puja festival.
The Durga Puja, the grandest festival in the region, traditionally commences on the sixth day (Shasthi) following Mahalaya, but it got rolling on the second day itself with the 'Gaucho' inaugurating a series of pandals.
On a day Union Home Minister Amit Shah also came to inaugurate a Durga Puja pandal, it was the Brazil legend who took all the limelight.
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Matrize Exit Poll predicts Congress sweeping Haryana with whopping majority
BJP set to win only 18-24 seats
New Delhi: As the polling has ended in Haryana’s 90 Assembly constituencies today, the Matrize Exit Poll has projected a challenging outcome for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), predicting it to win between 18-24 seats. The Congress is expected to make a comeback with 55-62 seats, while the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) is likely to be limited to 3-6 seats. The Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) is likely to secure around 3 seats, and other parties are expected to win between 2-5 seats.
As of 5 pm, voter turnout stood at 61%, indicating a keenly contested election. The BJP, which aims to secure a third consecutive term in the state, is facing a tough battle as the Congress seeks to regain power after being out of office for nearly a decade.
In the previous assembly elections, exit polls had projected varying outcomes. India Today had predicted 38 seats for the BJP and 36 for Congress, while ABP-C Voter projected a landslide with 72 seats for the BJP and 8 for Congress. News 18-IPSOS estimated a BJP victory with 75 seats and 10 for Congress. However, the final results led to a hung Assembly, with no party securing a majority. The BJP eventually formed the government with the support of the JJP and several Independent MLAs.
This time, with exit polls indicating a possible shift in voter preference, all eyes are on the final results to see if Congress can indeed stage a comeback or if BJP will retain its hold in the state.
