Exit poll puts Conservatives ahead but short of majority in UK elections

An exit poll shows British Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservatives are expected to win 316 seats but lack the required majority of 326.

The poll released by British broadcasters following a close-fought general election has put centre-left Labour on 239.  It has also predicted 58 seats for the pro-independence Scottish National Party and just 10 seats for Cameron's current junior coalition partner, the Liberal Democrats.

If the NOP/MORI exit poll which is based on interviews with 22,000 voters in 133 constituencies is accurate, the Conservatives would have enough seats to form another coalition government with the Liberal Democrats in the 650-seat parliament.

While the Conservatives may not have the clear majority of 326 seats in the House of Commons, they look to have increased their support from 302 in the outgoing parliament.

Meanwhile, a second poll by YouGov has projected 284 seats for the Conservatives, 263 for Labour, 48 for the SNP and 31 for the Liberal Democrats.

Polls suggest the Conservative will be the largest party in a hung parliament with Liberal Democrats enduring huge losses. 

'Vote counting'

Election officials have begun counting the vote soon after the polls ended across the country. The final result is expected by the Friday afternoon.

‘Voting fervor’

On Thursday, millions of Britons turned out to cast their ballots at polling stations that included such original sites as a caravan, an inn, a church, a boxing academy and a launderette.

It’s been the most uneventful day except few irregularities at some polling stations. The IT glitch reportedly caused problems in east London and Dorset. Some Britons living abroad also complained that postal votes arrived too late for them to vote.

The vote was seen the closest in decades with voters having a choice between a government led by Prime Minister David Cameron's centre-right Conservatives or by Ed Miliband's centre-left Labour. However, smaller parties are considered to be the major players in case of a hung parliament as one exit poll indicated.

Most forecasts before polls closed had put the Conservatives marginally ahead of Labour, with both parties around 34 per cent.

2010 saw the first coalition government in a generation. The political landscape of Britain is about to change again. No one would dare predict it until final results are out. It’s simply not clear what may happen over the next couple of days. But it’s clear, that the traditional political structure in Britain cannot get enough support to carry on smoothly.

SKL/SKL

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