New Delhi, Sep 3 (IANS): Despite a drop in the number of seats it won last time, the BJP will comfortably form the government in Uttar Pradesh which goes to the polls next year, as per the ABP-CVOTER-IANS BATTLE FOR THE STATES - WAVE 1.

The survey revealed that despite an increase in vote share, the BJP will win fewer seats in comparison to 2017, but will comfortably cross the magic mark of 202 seats.

BJP's vote share will increase by 0.4 per cent to 41.8 per cent in 2021 from 41.4 per cent in 2017. However, the number of seats will decrease from 325 in 2017 to 263 next year. The BJP will get 254 to 267 seats, the survey said.

As per the survey, both the number of seats and vote share of the Samajwadi Party (SP), the main opposition party in state, will increase this time. SP's vote share will increase from 23.6 in 2017 to 30.2 per cent in 2021, an increase of 6.6 per cent. Similarly, its seats will increase to 113 in 2021 from 48 in 2017. According to the survey, the SP is likely to get 109 to 117 seats in Uttar Pradesh.

The survey further revealed that both vote share and number of seats of Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) will decrease.

Vote share of BSP will decrease by 6.5 per cent from 22.2 in 2017 to 15.7 in 2021. The number of BSP MLAs will drop by five from 19 in 2017 to 15 in 2021, as per the survey. The BSP is likely to get 12 to 16 seats.

The Congress will also see a decline in vote share and number of seats in Uttar Pradesh, a key state for the revival of the party.

Congress' vote share will decrease by 1.2 per cent from 6.3 per cent in 2017 to 5.1 per cent in 2021. The party will win only five seats in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly, two less than in 2017, the survey said.

Over 44,000 people participated in the survey from all the 403 Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh.