Why the biggest ‘winners’ in these elections may not be political parties. It's these bettors

Chandrima BanerjeeTNN
May 3, 2026 | 13:18 IST

Prediction markets aren’t allowed to operate in India. But on Polymarket, anonymous crypto-wallet holders are waiting for election markets, where Rs 247 crore has been traded, to settle when the results are declared

When the assembly election results are declared on Monday, those who correctly predicted the winners on Polymarket, the American prediction market platform, stand to receive payouts from election markets that have seen more than $26mn — almost Rs 247 crore — in trading activity.

These bets opened in December last year and appear to have picked pace as the results draw closer.
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