India Election’s Exit Polls Indicate Another Deadlock

Voting on Saturday ended a staggered election for India’s next government in all but a handful of remote districts, with exit polls suggesting stronger support for Hindu nationalists.

Seven people were killed in election-related violence Saturday, bringing the death toll to at least 75 since elections began Feb. 16, but the day’s violence was mild compared with other voting days.

Two exit polls indicated the major parties could be headed for another deadlock and more of the same tumultuous politics that forced India to vote three years ahead of schedule.

But the trend was unclear, with the two polls varying widely on how much support the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party enjoyed.

A state-by-state exit poll broadcast on the government-run television showed the party making gains in almost every corner of the country, but falling short of the majority needed for a government. The second poll, shown on a private TV channel, said the BJP would make gains but do far worse than forecast in pre-election surveys.

Saturday’s voting completed the election for all but six of the 543 contested seats in Parliament. Vote counting begins Monday, before the final districts go to the polls.

More than 300 million of India’s 600 million voters have cast ballots in the election, which was staggered over six days to give security forces time to move across a country where religious, ethnic and caste difference often erupt into violence.

In the state of Kashmir, armed troops confronted Muslim separatists boycotting the polls Saturday, and reluctant citizens complained that soldiers forced them to vote against their will. Ten-year-old boys said they were taken to polling booths and compelled to cast ballots registered to other people.