Hyderabad: The underground betting market appears to have decided that the BJP would win the knife-edge battle against the Trinamul Congress in West Bengal. Separate bets are being placed on which party would garner how many seats.
On Sunday, even after the declaration of results, a textile merchant from Ghansi Bazaar, who’s laid heavy stakes on a saffron surge, said: “BJP will edge out Mamata this time — it’s Modi’s turn now.”
In Hyderabad’s Old City, for a Rs.100 bet on the BJP in Bengal, punters stand to win Rs.140- Rs.150 (1.4-1.5x payout ratio, mirroring the 2-3x higher betting volume on the BJP versus the TMC). A punter betting Rs.100 on the TMC to win will harvest Rs.180-Rs.200 (1.8-2x ratio) if the party retains power, as fewer bettors chase the underdog.
A Begum Bazaar trader confided, “I’ve put Rs.100 on BJP — easy Rs.45-Rs.50 profit if they cross 150 seats. TMC feels riskier now.”
Traders from Rajasthan’s Phalodi satta bazaar to the bustling lanes of Begum Bazaar, Feelkhana, Ghansi Bazaar, and Patel Market in Hyderabad are treating the five-state election results as a game for high-stakes speculation. From seat-wise projections to party victory odds, this informal economy hinges on who forms the next governments.
Phalodi’s influential bookies and offshore platforms — drawing heavy bets from Hyderabad — were pricing West Bengal as the closest fight among the five states.
Crypto platforms and offshore sites amplify the action, with mule UPI accounts funneling bets from small stakes to lakhs. Phalodi’s projections simply track the money flow and bookmaker confidence.
In Tamil Nadu’s 234-seat battle, bettors expected a hung House over a DMK sweep. Many were wagering on actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) seat tally — would it hit 40-50 seats to lead with AIADMK support, or fizzle below 30?
“Vijay was pulling crowds. I’m betting on 45 seats for TVK in a fractured House — no clean sweep for the DMK,” said a trader from Feelkhana. The odds gave the DMK a slight edge — a Rs.100 bet would earn Rs.120-Rs.130, and a hung Assembly with the Vijay-AIADMK combo coming to play paying 2-2.5x (Rs.200-Rs.250 return on a Rs.100 bet).
In their view, Kerala was tilting toward a Congress-led UDF victory, with bettors giving the Opposition formation a narrow edge over the LDF. “UDF looks solid — maybe 70-75 seats,” noted a trader of the 140-seat House, betting Rs.100 for a Rs.130-Rs.140 payout (1.3-1.4x ratio).
Assam, meanwhile, promised a comfortable BJP-led win, treated as a “safe bet” with stable odds — a Rs.100 wager would return Rs.110-Rs.120 (1.1-1.2x), drawing high volumes due to low risk.
Hyderabad’s trader-bookies, dealing in textiles, metals, and commodities, read these signals like market trends. “For us, this is like any other market — there is a price, there is risk, and there is a chance of profit. Whether it is gold, cotton or an election, the habit of betting is common,” said one trader from Begum Bazaar.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
