Exit polls predict edge for Cong-led UPA

New Delhi, May 14: It seems that India is once again set to see a hung Assembly in the 15th Lok Sabha with Congress-led UPA emerging as the front runner to form the government. But even the UPA is expected to fall short of the magic 272 mark in the 543-member house.

Majority of the exit polls conducted by different TV channels and newspaper predicts neck to neck race with only a marginal edge to the ruling UPA coalition.

The CNN-IBN carried out a national projection instead of an exit-poll and predicted 185- 205 seats for the UPA. It gave the NDA between 155-185 seats and the Third Front, 110-130. Times Now predicted that UPA will get as many as 198 seats and the NDA 183. The Left front strength is likely to go down sharply from 60 to 38. The channel projected Congress with 154 seats to be the single largest party followed by BJP with 142.

Star News-AC Nielsen's assessment says that UPA would get 202 seats and the NDA will be marginally behind with 198. The Star survey showed that the Congress would get 157 seats and BJP 154. The Third Front was likely to bag 97 and the Fourth Front would have 34 with the largest share of 24 for the Samajwadi Party.

Experts in most of the channels did not forget to warn the viewers that the exit polls results are not foolproof, as realised in 2004.

OneIndia News