The exit poll left Twitter stunned.

The hashtag "Hung Parliament" shot to the top of Twitter's list of top UK trends after the general election exit poll predicted that the Conservatives would lose their overall majority. More than 70,000 messages were posted in under an hour.

Many commentators anticipated a large Conservative majority before the election, but the exit poll actually suggested the Tories would lose seats.

Twitter users across the political spectrum were shocked by the news:

Image copyright Philip Hawkes/Twitter

Image copyright Siraj Datoo/Twitter

Even some Labour candidates were surprised:

Image copyright @DavidLammy

Google reported a spike in election-related queries. Among the top trending questions was "What is a hung parliament?"

Image copyright Google

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The 2015 exit poll pointed to a surprise Conservative surge, compared to pre-election polling.

With the official results yet to be tallied, Twitter users have been keen to point out the contrast between two years ago and the exit poll this time around:

Image copyright Road tp 326/Twitter

Many Labour supporters are jubilant, even though their party is predicted to win 48 fewer seats than the Conservatives:

Image copyright Andrew Cassidy/Twitter

Whereas many Conservatives are stunned:

Image copyright Ben Kelly/Twitter

Others are highlighting the political problems that might be posed by a hung parliament, and speculation about a second snap election has already started.

Image copyright Adam Wagner/Twitter

Image copyright Beth Rigby/Twitter

And plenty of people are making plans to stay up through the night:

Image copyright @merlin11779

Blog by Sam Bright

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