Exit polls in India are suggesting that Narendra Modi, the leader of India's main opposition BJP, is on track to win the general election.

The votes are between two main parties, the ruling Congress and the BJP, and are slotted to be counted on May 16.

Six exit polls released yesterday projected that the Congress party and its allies will carry 70 to 148 seats while Modi's party the BJP and its allies will win 249 to 340 seats, with 272 needed in order to carry the majority.

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The Congress has been in power for the past decade but exit polls have also overestimated the BJP's strength in two past national elections - causing people to reluctantly accept the predictions provided by exit polls this year.

However, experts believe that the polls still point to a dramatic win for the BJP and a resounding defeat for the Congress.

As news came that the BJP might take the elections, Modi issued a statement calling for unity across the nation.

"Let's place people over politics, hope over despair, healing over hurting, inclusion over exclusion and development over divisiveness," the 63-year-old Modi said in a statement sent by the BJP last night.

The bloc led by the BJP has drawn significant criticism in recent months due to its stance as a party rooted deeply in Hindu nationalism which critics claim will result in the party crushing minority rights should it win the elections.

However, despite this, tallies show that this will be the best-ever performance by the BJP bloc.  

The final day of voting was on Monday and the Election Commission stated that there was an estimated a voter turnout of 66.38%.

With 814 million voters, more than 551 million voters cast their ballot in this year's elections. The massive number of participants makes this the largest democratic exercise in voting to date.