LS polls: Delhi bookies predict over 340 seats for NDA, 200 for INDIA bloc

In line with most of the exit poll predictions, bookies in Delhi feel the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will get more than 340 seats in the Lok Sabha polls while the INDIA opposition bloc may secure around 200 seats.

According to the calculations of bookies and punters in Delhi, the NDA could get between 341 and 343 seats while the number could be between 198 and 200 for the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), a source working in the bookie network told PTI.

While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may win 310 to 313 seats on its own, the Congress's numbers could be between 57 and 59, the bookies have predicted.

Of the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, they have given one seat to the INDIA bloc, the source said.

The betting market opened two weeks ago and bets of crores have been placed on the poll results so far in Delhi-NCR, he said, adding that the punters are not only from the capital but also from abroad.

In the betting circle, a person who places bets is called a punter while the one who decides the stakes is a bookie, who earns through commission in the process, a police official said on the condition of anonymity.
 

Police keep a close eye on bookies and punters as betting is illegal in India. Someone caught indulging in the practice of betting ("satta") can be booked under section of 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for an offence punishable with imprisonment of up to seven years.

The rates for the NDA are low in the betting market as its winning probability is high, the source said, adding that a bet on the INDIA bloc is "risky" and therefore, the rates for bets on the opposition alliance are high.

While the bookies have predicted another comfortable NDA victory with a full majority, they have ruled out the possibility of the alliance crossing the figure of 400, another source said.

He said a Dubai-based bookie network has also predicted a thumping majority for the NDA in the polls.

According to the police official, many people have placed multiple bets, so that if they lose their money on one, they can recover it through another.

While BJP leaders have claimed a resounding poll victory for their party with more than 400 seats, the INDIA bloc has predicted that it would win 295 seats.

The final phase of polling in the seven-phase election was conducted on June 1. The counting of the votes polled for the 543 Lok Sabha seats will be taken up on Tuesday.