124 seats locked today

Cong won 11 of these 22 in 2004; its ally TRS had 5. TRS is now with TDP,but Cong may not be too badly hit TRS seats were in Telengana. Cong should be able to maintain its hold,minus one or two seats,in coastal Andhra.

2 Bihar 13/40

NDA set to gain

In Bhojpur and south Bihar,Cong is creating a buzz,but that may not translate into more seats than in 2004 it had 2; partner RJD 8. This time,NDA is set to gain; Lalu likely to lose some of his seats.

3 Kerala 20/20

CPM on back foot

Last time it was a redwash; CPM-led front had 18 out of 20,its best ever performance. 3 years of a near-dysfunctional government and faction fight in the CPM have given Cong hope of a total reversal. CPM should be happy if it manages to hold on to 7 seats.

4 Maharashtra 13/48

No saffron sweep

10 of the 13 seats are in Vidarbha. In 2004,BJP-SS swept 10 out of 11. Cong-NCP better placed this time to claim half of what it lost.

5 Orissa 10/21

Split could hurt BJD

In Naxal-hit zone,BJD-BJP had 8 out of 10. With partners parting ways,Cong set to gain marginally.

6 Uttar Pradesh 16/80

SP on shaky ground

In Eastern UP,SP was clear winner in 2004 with 7 seats. This time,Mulayam-Kalyan friendship has made Muslims wary. SP is

fighting its toughest battle.

7 Chhattisgarh 11/11

BJP encore not easy

BJP won 10 last time,and an Assembly election after that. Raman Singh still the tallest leader in the state. But a near sweep is a tough act to repeat and the BJP could end up losing a couple of seats.