Vote count begins after key legislative elections

India began counting the hundreds of millions of votes cast in last week's legislative election, with no clear winner designated by exit polls. Results are expected on Saturday afternoon, local time.India starts counting the hundreds of millions of votes cast in its marathon election on Saturday, with all signs pointing to a hung parliament and a shaky coalition government.The world's largest electorate may have spoken but even once the ballots are tallied up it could be hard to decipher exactly what it said, with no clear winner expected to emerge."Nothing is settled yet, except the things that are," was the cryptic verdict of the Indian Express newspaper as the country awaited Saturday's result.Exit polls have given an edge to the alliance led by the ruling Congress party, with most predicting it will win anywhere between five and 20 more seats than the main opposition bloc headed by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).One poll suggested the margin could be as high as 40 seats.But neither group is expected to get close to the 272 seats needed for a parliamentary majority, leaving the balance of power in the hands of a multitude of regional parties.The use of electronic voting machines means the counting should be completed by Saturday afternoon.Speculation as to the eventual make-up of the government has thrown up countless permutations but most analysts agree that the most likely outcome is a patchwork coalition that will struggle to see out a full term.Before Saturday's count -- in fact even before the final phase of voting on Wednesday -- the main parties were already jockeying for position, bolstering existing allies, lining up new ones and seeing what they could poach from their rivals.For some, the mad rush for coalition partners is not just unseemly but also risks betraying voter intentions, as parties ditch campaign promises in order to placate a potential ally.