The ruling Akali Dal-BJP alliance in Punjab is facing a crushing defeat, two exit polls predicted on Thursday but were divided on whether the Congress or the Aam Aadmi Party would form the next government.
The India Today-CVoter exit poll said the Congress could win between 62 and 71 seats, the AAP between 42 and 51 seats and the ruling Akali Dal-BJP combine reduced to between four and seven seats.
The India News-MRC poll gave the Akali-BJP combine seven seats, while the Congress and the AAP were predicted to get 55 seats each.
The Punjab assembly has 117 seats and the halfway mark is 59. Official results are out on March 11.
The state saw an unprecedented three-cornered contest for the first time between the Akali Dal-BJP combine, the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Exit polls have frequently gone wrong in the past, including in Bihar and Delhi in 2015.