• Exit polls have a mixed record in India as the 2004 and 2009 polls have been way off the mark, underestimating the Congress Party.

• If the recent polls are to be believed, Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi is on course to be India’s next premier.

• All the current polls show the BJP to win more than 200 seats — between 210 and 291— beating its previous high of 182 seats in earlier elections.

• Congress party is dumbfounded after the poll results as these show the party slipping below 3 digits — between 57 and 85 seats.

• If that is indeed the case, it will be Congress’ worst performance since 1998 when it got 114 seats.

• The ORG and Chanakya polls have created confusion. Experts say their results in Bihar and Rajasthan states are difficult to believe.

• There are also reports of manipulation of some polls by certain political parties as well as defected methodology.

• Election polls in India are usually based on random samples of voters

which ignore the 70 percent rural population.

• Polling organizations in the biggest democracy usually do not spend

the required investment and time to bring out more accurate results.

• As the nine-phase marathon election came to an end on May 12, all eyes are on the results that are to be announced on Friday. Election Commission says the results will start coming by 4 p.m.