But as results came in Saturday, the gap between the two was expected to be a whopping 100 seats.

The exit polls gave the UPA 185 to 205 seats and the NDA 142 to 198 while predicting as many as 110 to 130 seats for the Third Front, which, as trends reveal, may not cross even half of that.

The predictions for the UPA did not include the projections for the SP, the RJD and the LJP, of 25 to 35 seats. The trends show that they can add up to 24.

The RJD and LJP have been saying they are part of the UPA  but contested independently, while the SP joined them in what was termed the Fourth Front. The surveys gave 110-130 seats to the Third Front that is led by the Left.

The Left parties were projected by the exit polls to get 38 seats. But when the final results emerged, the Left parties won 28, a huge fall from their existing tally of 59.