Election exit poll points to hung parliament

LONDON (Reuters) - An exit poll published after voting closed in the election Thursday suggests no party will win enough seats to win the election outright although the Conservatives are on course to become the largest party.

The exit poll, conducted at 130 polling stations and which surveyed more than 20,000 voters, suggests Britain is on course for its first "hung parliament" since 1974. This is likely to keep financial markets under pressure over concerns about protracted talks about who should lead the government.

The poll suggested the Conservatives are likely to win 307 seats and Labour 255 seats in the Commons, both short of the 326 needed for a majority.

Exit polls from the last three elections correctly predicted the outcome, but they have not always been accurate. Exit polls in 1992 pointed to a hung parliament but the Conservatives in fact won a majority.

The Conservatives are hoping to wrest power from the Labour government, which has been in power for 13 years.