Exit polls suggest no immediate winner in Israeli elections

Jerusalem, March 24 Exit polls for Israel's fourth election in two years finally suggested no immediate winner, leaving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political fate still undecided.

Exit polls on Israel's three main TV channels on Tuesday showed that a bloc of Netanyahu's Likud party and three other right-wing parties that vowed ahead of the elections to join a coalition headed by the longtime leader, won 53-54 seats together. Yamina, a pro-settler party and a former close ally of the Likud, gained seven to eight seats, Xinhua news agency reported.

Netanyahu needs at least 61 seats in the 120-seat parliament to form a governing coalition.

The unprecedented fourth elections held in fewer than two years comes amid a lingering political deadlock in Israel after a series of inconclusive elections.

( With inputs from IANS )