The People Power Party (PPP), a vehicle for supporters of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, won the most seats in today's Thai election, two exit polls said.
However, they differed greatly on the size of the PPP victory, which was nevertheless likely to cause consternation in the ranks of the generals who booted out telecoms billionaire Thaksin in a September 2006 military coup.
Bangkok's Suan Dusit College said the PPP had won 256 out of the 480 parliamentary seats, giving it a clear majority.
However, Assumption University's ABAC poll said the PPP won only 202 seats, in line with most pre-election polls, meaning it would have to tie up with at least one other minor party to form a coalition.
About 45 million Thais were eligible to vote before polls closed at 8am in an election meant to restore democracy but which looked set to prolong the deep political divisions of the past two years.
On the eve of polling, PPP leaders said if they won a clear majority Thaksin would be free to return on Feb. 14. They did not explain why Valentine's Day was picked for his homecoming.
PPP leader Samak Sundaravej, whose party embraced the populist policies which won Thaksin two landslide election victories, said he was confident "the vote will be on our side".
"What Thaksin did for them five years ago is still in their hearts. They are thinking of him," said Samak, who freely admits being a proxy for the 58-year-old Thaksin, believed to be watching the results from Hong Kong.