Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is expected to return to power for a rare third successive tenure with a comfortable majority, as per five separate exit polls Indian TV channels aired today.

However, the BJP is likely to fall short of the 400-seat target in the 543-member Lok Sabha that it had set for itself in this year's national elections, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

Two exit polls have shown BJP making fresh gains in West Bengal governed by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress.

Exit polls by Republic Bharat-Matrize and NDTV-Jan Ki Baat have given 21-25 and 21-26 Lok Sabha seats respectively to the BJP. There are a total of 42 seats in West Bengal.

Nationally, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance is projected to secure over 350 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha where the majority mark is 272.

According to the exit polls, the opposition INDIA bloc, led by Congress, is predicted to win somewhere between 125 and 150 seats.

Republic Bharat-PMARQ exit poll gives BJP-led NDA 359 seats, India News-D-Dynamics 371, Republic Bharat-Matrize 353-368, News Nation 342-378, and TV 5 Telugu 359.

PMARQ exit poll predicts 154 seats for opposition INDIA bloc and 30 for others, Republic TV Matrize 118-133, India News-D-Dynamics 125, News Nation 153-169, and NDTV India-Jan Ki Baat 141-161.

TMC, which had lost a significant number of seats to BJP in 2019 and won 22 seats, may end up losing a few more in this year's elections if the exit poll predictions prove to be true on June 4, when the Indian Election Commission takes up official counting of votes.

According to the Matrize exit poll, TMC will secure 16-20 seats and NDTV-Jan Ki Baat has predicted 16-18 seats for the party in West Bengal. PMARQ exit poll has predicted 22 seats for BJP and 20 for TMC.