India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is on course to win the general election, exit polls suggest.

The BJP and the main opposition Congress party battled it out with powerful regional rivals in a bruising campaign over seven phases of polling.

Results will be announced on 23 May. Analysts warn exit polls have often been wrong in the past.

Many saw the election as a referendum on Mr Modi who won a landslide in 2014.

Four exit polls saw big wins for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, predicting that it would win anywhere between 280 and 315 seats, far more than the opposition Congress.

A party or coalition needs 272 to form a government.

Political parties have not commented on the projections so far. However as voting ended, there was a flurry of meetings by opposition leaders, sparking speculation

The election began on 11 April and was held in seven phases for security and logistical reasons. With 900 million eligible voters, it is the world's biggest exercise in democracy.

Source: BBC

BDST:  2019 HRS, MAY 19, 2019

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