NEW DELHI: India, the world’s largest democracy, was set to count on Saturday millions of votes cast in Lok Sabha elections even as leading political parties continued to hunt for new allies to make up the numbers in a fractured parliament.

While both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) voiced confidence that they would be the single largest group in the 545-seat Lok Sabha, their strategists began contacting smaller and regional parties that are expected to play a key role in government formation.

Exit polls and projections at the end of staggered five-phase polling Wednesday showed that the Congress could get 145-160 seats in the hung Lok Sabha and be the single largest party, followed by the BJP’s range of 135-157. They said the UPA could bag 185-205 seats and NDA 165-208 seats.

With the Third Front tipped to score around 100 seats, a new government would become near impossible unless two formations gang up or key sections of one alliance decide to prop up another coalition.

The BJP immediately scrambled to assert that Nitish Kumar was still with the NDA while the Congress pointed out that it had given substantial funds to the eastern state.

With the NDA bagging the TRS and eyeing the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, the Congress opened secret channels with AIADMK-ally PMK and actor-politician Chiranjeevi in Andhra Pradesh besides Orissa’s ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD), which only months ago divorced the BJP after 11 long years.

Political sources said the hunt for numbers that lead to the majority mark of 272 would continue through the night. “This will accelerate once the results are known tomorrow,” a Congress leader said. “If one party or alliance crosses the 200-seat mark then that party or alliance will be in the driver’s seat.”

Officials meanwhile said that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would resign on Sunday in line with constitutional provisions but remain in office until a new government is formed.