Exit polls split over Jayalaithaa

Two exit polls on Monday evening predicted a defeat for the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu but a third said Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa was set to retain power.

The News Nation TV exit poll gave 95-99 seats in the 234-member assembly to Jayalalithaa's AIADMK and 114-118 to the DMK-Congress alliance.

The People Welfare Front (PWF) alliance, made up of six parties, was set to get 14 seats and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) four, it said. Nine seats could go to others.

The Axis-My India exit poll predicted 124-140 seats to the DMK-Congress alliance, 89-110 to the AIADMK, 0-3 to the BJP and 4-8 to others.

The CVoter exit poll, however, said the AIADMK would bag 139 seats, leaving the DMK-Congress alliance at the second place with 78 seats. The BJP was unlikely to win any seat in Tamil Nadu.