Kerala could end up the silver lining in an election that promises to go against it.
Kerala was a rare spot of comfort for the Congress on an evening when nearly all exit polls predicted wins for the BJP-led NDA. Only Kerala and Punjab showed the Congress emerging out in front of its competitors. That meant the Left is headed for a near wipe-out and the BJP could be headed to winning a Lok Sabha seat from Kerala for the very first time.
The average of exit polls predicted the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) would win 13 of Kerala's 20 seats. Six of the seven exit polls take for the average predicted that the Congress would win more than half the seats in Kerala, with the lowest predicting being 12. Only one survey, the News 18 - IPSOS exit poll saw the Congress in single digits, with 7-9 seats.
The expected strong showing of the Congress would also give the party the opportunity to give some credit to Rahul Gandhi in what otherwise promises to be a bad day for the party. Rahul has contested from the Wayanad constituency, which is seen as a safe seat, apart from his usual Amethi. The explanation offered by the Congress was that the move was aimed at strengthening the party in the southern states. If the Congress does come across with the predicted seats, it would allow some bragging rights in conjunction with the strong showing expected of the Congress-DMK alliance in neighbouring Tamil Nadu.
But the worst news was for the Left, which was seen winning 6 seats. However, that number would have turned out much worse. Six of the seven exit polls taken for the average saw the Left winning four to five seats. Only one, the Network 18 IPSOS exit poll gave the Left 11-13 seats, raising the average.
The Left is also seen performing extremely poorly in West Bengal, which not too long ago was seen as a red bastion. This has created the possibility that the Left could be reduced to a mere token presence in the next Parliament.
The exit polls gave some good news for the BJP to look forward to in Kerala. Five of the seven exit polls taken for the average showed the BJP winning its first ever Lok Sabha seat from the state. The BJP has benefitted from some mobilisation that was sparked by the stand-off over the entry of women into the hill shrine at Sabarimala. But whether that mobilisation will materialise into a victory like the exit polls suggest will become clear only on May 23.
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 "Rahul Gandhi with former Kerala CM Oommen Chandy.")
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