According to the exit polls, Narendra Modi is set to form the new government in India.
Like the exit polls, the
satta bazaar, or the shadowy world of betting, is also singing,
"Abki Baar, Modi sarkar,"Narendra Modi is the odds-on favourite of the bookies to take over the reins of the country after May 16, and the alliance led by is predicted to win anywhere between 290-310 seats, significantly more than the average of all exit polls, which forecast 279 seats for the NDA. (
Exit Polls Predict Striking Scale of Defeat For Congress)
The odds for Mr Modi being the PM are extremely high as the going rate for every rupee bet is only 42 paise. Bookies don't seem to be too enthused by Congress vice president
Rahul Gandhi as the odds are much greater for him: Rs 6.50 for every rupee. Samajwadi Party (SP) president
Mulayam Singh Yadav and West Bengal chief minister
Mamata Banerjee, who have also staked their claim to the country's top job, are staring at a more adverse prospect, with their rates pegged at Rs 11 and Rs 16. Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP)
Arvind Kejriwal is inviting a betting rate at Rs 500 per rupee, effectively ruling him out of the race. (
Exit Polls: Numbers Stack Up in Favour of BJP-Led NDA)
The betting market trend suggests that the BJP will comfortably get over 210 seats all by itself, stopping somewhere around the 225-seat mark. It spells doom for the Congress, as the bookies predict that it is headed for its worst performance ever, and may find it difficult to cross even the 85-seat mark. (
Voters in India Expected to Give Narendra Modi a Mandate)
The
satta bazaar sniffs a saffron surge across the Hindi belt and western India. In Uttar Pradesh, the NDA, bookies say, will sweep the landscape, bagging 50 of the 80 seats. In Maharashtra, the alliance with the Shiv Sena promises rich returns: the NDA is predicted to win 35 of the 48 seats. It was shown to be much ahead of its rivals in Bihar, and even in Andhra Pradesh.
But like exit polls,
satta bazaar too has been found to be off the mark in the past. It remains to be seen whether it is backing the right horse this time.