New Delhi: BJP's Narendra Modi is set to become India's next Prime Minister, exit polls showed on Monday.
As polling ended, several exit polls were conducted by Headlines today, Hansa research, C-voter, Times now and NDTV.
Out of the five exit polls, three indicate a clean sweep by the BJP; while two others suggest that the Congress might not face a complete rout.
Research group C-Voter predicted 289 seats for the NDA headed by the BJP, with just 101 seats for the alliance led by the Congress party - which would be the ruling party's worst ever result.
C-Voter said its poll was based on a sample of 166,901 randomly selected respondents in all 543 seats up for election. The pollster said its margin of error is +--3 percent at a national level.
Another poll, by Cicero for the India Today group, showed the NDA hitting between 261 and 283 seats. A majority of 272 is needed to form a government, although that is often achieved with outside support from regional parties.
NDTV and Hansa research held back BJP’s share to 250 seats unlike others that suggest 270 plus seats to the BJP.
Indian elections are notoriously hard to call, however. Pre-election opinion polls and post-voting exit polls both have a patchy record. CSDS has put together a survey canvassing voters at least a day after they cast their ballots that was due to be released by the CNN-IBN news channel.
Times Now exit polls
NDA: 249 seats
UPA: 148
Hansa Research exit polls
NDA: 275 seats, BJP: 226
UPA: 111, Congress: 92
CNN-IBN exit polls
NDA: 270-282 seats, BJP 230-242
UPA: 92-102, Congress 72-82
TMC: 25-31
Left: 14-20
TDP: 12-16
YSRC: 11-15
SP: 10-14
RJD: 8-12
AAP: 3-7
JDU: 2-4
The CNN-CSDS exit poll has this to say:
Telangana: 17 seats
Congress: 31% vote share, 3-5 seats
BJP+TDP: 21%, 2-4
TRS: 37%, 8-12
Seemandhra: 25 seats
BJP+TDP, 43%, 11-15 seats
YSRC: 40%, 11-15
Congress: 7%, 0
Kerala: 20 seats
UDF: 45% vote share, 11-14 seats
LDF: 40%, 6-9
Delhi: 7 seats
BJP: 5-7
AAP: 0-2
Punjab: 13 seats
BJP + SAD: 6-9
Congress: 3-5
AAP: 1-3
Haryana: 10 seats
BJP+: 38% vote share
Congress: 24%
INLD: 20%
AAP: 4%
Others: 14%
Gujarat: 26 seats
BJP – 53% vote share
Cong – 35%
Madhya Pradesh: 29 seats
Bjp: 50% vote share
Congress: 34%
Others: 14%
Uttarakhand: 5 seats
BJP: 49% vote share
Congress: 38%
BSP: 7%
Others: 6%
Himachal Pradesh: 4 seats:
BJP: 51%
Congress: 37%
Others: 12%
Tamil Nadu: 39 seats
DMK: 26%
ADMK: 39%
BJP: 16%
Congress: 9%
Others: 10%
Karnataka: 28 seats
BJP: 38%, 10-14
Congress: 43%, 12-16
JDS: 1-3 seats
West Bengal: 42
Trinamool Congress: 38% vote share, 25-31 seats
Left: 24%, 7-11
Congress: 13%, 2-4
BJP: 15%, 1-3
Odissa: 21 seats
BJD: 37% vote share, 12-16
Congress: 24%, 1-3
BJP: 29%, 3-7
Assam: 14 seats
Congress: 40% vote share
BJP: 22%
AGP: 3%
AUDF: 11%
Others: 14%
Jharkhand: 14 seats
BJP: 44% vote share
Congress: 11%
JVM: 11%
Others: 24%
Uttar Pradesh: 80 seats
BJP: 40%, 45-53
BSP: 21%, 10-14
SP: 24%, 13-17
Congress: 10%, 3-5
Others: 5%
Bihar: 40 seats
JDU: 2-4 seats
BJP: 21-27
Congress + RJD: 11-15
Maharashtra: 48
BJP: 44%, 33-37 seats
Congress: 34%, 11-15
MNS: 3%
AAP: 3%
Rajasthan: 25 seats
Bjp: 50%, 22- 24 seats
Congress: 34% , 1-3
BSP: 4%
Chhattisgarh: 11 seats
BJP: 51%
Congress: 31%
BSP: 4%
Others: 14%
The stock market closed at a second straight record high Monday while the rupee rallied on hopes exit polls will show BJP on track to win the national elections.
Release of the exit polls -- surveys of voters as they leave polling stations -- came after voting booths closed later Monday. Formal election results will be announced on May 16. The rupee strengthened to its highest against the US currency in nearly 10 months, touching 59.51 rupees to the dollar, a level last seen in July.
Since the BJP chose Narendra Modi as its prime ministerial candidate last September, Indian shares have been on a bull run. The Sensex has gained over 19 percent -- a rise described by traders as a vote of confidence in Modi's ability to turn around India's struggling economy.
Stocks have risen more than five percent alone since voting began in early April in the multi-phased parliamentary election.
