Mumbai, April 30 -- Domestic equity indices declined sharply during the morning session, driven by heightened volatility following exit poll predictions for state elections. Investor sentiment weakened further as oil prices surged to historic highs and the rupee fell to a record low. Persistent selling by foreign institutional investors (FIIs) also added to the downward pressure. The Nifty slipped below the 23,850 mark, while auto stocks declined after advancing in the previous trading session.

At 10:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex dropped 1,084.43 points or 1.40% to 76,411.93. The Nifty 50 index plunged 345.55 points or 1.42% to 23,831.65.

In the broader market, the BSE 150 MidCap Index tumbled 1.68% and the BSE 250 Sma...