New Delhi, May 12
The fifth and final phase of the most keenly fought Lok Sabha elections in recent times will conclude tomorrow with polling to 86 seats, but there is no clear picture of who would form the next government.

The general election for 543 seats of the lower house of Parliament are widely expected to throw a hung verdict, but the struggle for power is mainly among the ruling Congress-led UPA coalition, the BJP-led NDA and the Third Front, headed by the Left parties.

Campaigning during the month-long elections have been acerbic, with leaders attacking the character and qualities of one another while the common people gave vent to their anger by firing footwear missiles on the likes of none other than Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and BJP’s PM-hopeful LK Advani, among others.

Polling has been completed to 457 Lok Sabha seats since the exercise began on April 16 amid stray violence that left over 20 dead. The results will be out on May 16.

The final leg would see election of 86 MPs and among the contenders are Congress’ P Chidambaram and Mohd Azharuddin, BJP’s Maneka and Varun Gandhi and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, DMK’s TR Baalu, A Raja, Dayanidhi Maran and MK Azhagiri, MDMK’s Vaiko, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee and SP’s Jaya Prada. A party or a coalition needs 272 seats in the Lok Sabha to stake claim to form a government. — PTI