Ex-film star and convict wins in Indian vote

Latest local election results showed strong lead for communists in the east

In this story: Ward off violence Litmus test for PM RELATED STORIES, SITES

By CNN's Marianne Bray

NEW DELHI, India -- Feisty former film star and convict Jayaram Jayalalitha stormed to victory in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu as the counting of votes in local elections neared its final stages.

Latest results from the four states and one federally supervised territory which held legislative assembly elections on Thursday also showed a strong lead for the communists in the eastern state of West Bengal, which they have ruled for 24 years.

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The polls have been seen as a litmus test for Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's coalition government and the main opposition Congress party of Italian-born Sonia Gandhi, which looked set to win or be on the winning side in three states.

Vajpayee appeared unruffled by the results of the poll, in which two of his government's regional partners were facing defeat, saying they were in line with expectations.

His Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said the outcome would have no impact on the 19-month-old ruling coalition.

"It was a local election, no national issue was involved," BJP President Jana Krishnamurthy told reporters.

But the results could have an impact on future political alliances, and is being watched closely.

Ward off violence

The results are being closed watched for future political alliances

The results from West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry came in more quickly than in past elections because of the introduction of electronic voting machines at most polling stations.

State-run All India Radio said additional police had been deployed across West Bengal to ward off the threat of violence between supporters of the communist alliance and its challengers.

Four of 10 people killed in election violence on Thursday died in West Bengal and the rest in the northeastern state of Assam, where separatist guerrillas tried to disrupt the poll.

Seven hours into the count, West Bengal's Left had secured 90 of the state's 294 constituencies and was leading in another 104.

West Bengal's opposition alliance, led by communist-baiter Mamata Banerjee, had won just 30 seats and was ahead in 55.

Communist supporters exploded in joy in West Bengal as early trends indicated a sixth consecutive win for the leftists.

Hordes of people waved red flags and sprinkled colored powder on each other at counting centers in Calcutta, where in some places leftists had defied expectations by snatching victory from Banerjee's coalition.

Litmus test for PM

Some 134 million voters were expected to turn out for Indian elections

In Tamil Nadu, Jayalalitha's All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) alliance sailed past the majority of assembly seats required to rule the southern state.

Jayalalitha, who was barred from running in the election because of a corruption conviction against her, was chief minister of the state between 1991 and 1996.

A widely popular figure despite the string of graft cases against her, Jayalalitha triggered the downfall of the previous Vajpayee government in 1999 by withdrawing her party from his coalition in a fit of pique.

Analysts said it was not clear whether the portly former Tamil movie star would become chief minister. If she did, she would have to be voted to a state constituency within six months, which would again put her on a collision course with electoral laws.

Vajpayee's BJP was a marginal player in the states which went to the polls last week, but a commentator said the vote could hold vital lessons for the coalition.

"In a nutshell, the forthcoming results will show which way India is thinking, and for the BJP and the NDA, it is some sort of a litmus test," the Asian Age said. "Vajpayee and company will have a...task to recapture their fast-losing sheen."

The Associated Press & Reuters contributed to this report.

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