Mumbai:
Who will form Maharashtra's next government? Punters are betting on a close contest with neither side getting an absolute majority.
Counting day may not end the run-around for Maharashtra's politicians. The verdict on punters street get set for a photo finish, neither coalition will get an absolute majority.
Bookies predict that the Congress-NCP alliance will have a sliver of an edge, between 120 - 130 seats while the saffron combine will be a close second with115-125 seats. Whereas, Raj Thackeray's party will not just be a spoiler, but could win 6-8 seats.
The Congress, which is contesting the largest number of seats, is also expected to win the most, between 75 to 85 seats. And the promised returns: 24 paise on every rupee bet if the Congress gets 75 seats.
The NCP, bookies predict, will slide further in this election, ending up with 35 to 45 seats. If it gets 35 seats, the promised returns are 22 paise on every rupee.
For the Shiv Sena, that's battling the MNS, and hoping to benefit from anti-incumbency,
the stakes are higher - 24 paise for it winning 50 seats. Its partner the BJP has even worse odds - 32 paise for 50 seats.
In both IPLs, the Premier league and the political league, the bookies lost around Rs 10,000 crore. This time around, they are playing it safe, giving neither alliance a clear edge. Perhaps to ensure that even if they don't make money, they don't lose it either.