India’s parties short of majority

THE ruling Congress-led coalition was slightly ahead of the opposition Hindu-nationalist alliance in India’s general election, but both groups fell well short of a parliamentary majority, TV projections said yesterday.

A raft of exit polls showed both alliances would need new partners, renewing concerns that a shaky coalition government will emerge.

Exit polls have had a mixed record in the past, given the difficulties of assessing an electorate of 714 million people.