Modi strengthens in polls with potentially strong Coalition likely

NEW DELHI - The BJP-led NDA coalition, of which Narendra Modi is the Prime Ministerial candidate, has increased its lead further in the most recent polls, which now point to a potentially strong, Modi-led Coalition government, even though they will still have to partner with some large regional parties after final results are posted on May 16. In an update on the polling, ANZ Bank says it does seem likely that a BJP-led NDA coalition will form Government.

“But it’s worth reminding ourselves that the actual strength of the Coalition could vary from that indicated in the polls, sometimes significantly, as was particularly the case in the 2004 elections,” says ANZ.
“If actual results were to be in line with recent polls, the NDA would still need to partner with some big regional parties to get 272 seats needed to form Government.
“The resulting Government could be a relatively strong Coalition, and such an outcome could quite likely see a one-off positive reaction from equity markets/rupee.
“Delicate negotiations with regional parties, however, are likely to follow the election results. Some of the leaders of these regional parties have been openly critical of Mr Modi.” www.live.anz.com (ATI).