Narendra Modi, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate got a feeler from Tamil Nadu on Wednesday morning, when an AIADMK leader said his party chief
J Jayalalithaa would "like close ties" with him. (
Message for Narendra Modi from Tamil Nadu: 'Madam Would Like Close Ties')
If that is an offer of support at the Centre, NDTV's exit poll suggests it's a good one. Ms Jayalalithaa, Tamil Nadu chief minister, looks set to sweep her state with about 32 of its 39 Lok Sabha seats. (
Full Coverage: NDTV Exit Polls)
That is up 23 seats from the nine she had won in 2009. And it will also make her party the third largest after the main national parties the BJP and the Congress.
Her rival M Karunanidhi's DMK had won 19 seats the last time. This year, in a full reversal, the party is likely to get only five seats, the exit poll shows.
The BJP, with its rainbow alliance of five parties, is set to get two seats.
But the Congress draws a blank. In 2009 it had contested elections as the DMK's partner and had won eight seats. This time several senior Congress leaders, including Finance Minister P Chidambaram, chose not to contest from the state, drawing jeers from the BJP, which said it was an acknowledgment of defeat.