Ed Miliband will "change his tune" about ruling out a deal with the SNP when the results of the General Election are in, Nicola Sturgeon has predicted.
The Scottish First Minister added that while the Labour leader might want a majority government at Westminster, all the polls indicate he will not achieve that aim.
Labour is expected to suffer heavy losses in Scotland - where it won 41 seats in 2010 - with forecasts suggesting Ms Sturgeon's party could see as many as 50 MPs elected.
After the Labour leader restated his opposition to doing any kind of deal with the SNP, Ms Sturgeon said "I suspect Ed Miliband will change his tune once the votes are cast.."
The latest set of UK-wide polls indicate that the General Election race is still neck-and-neck, with the country heading for a probable hung parliament and coalition negotiations after May 7.
Pressed on whether he would consider a confidence-and-supply deal with the SNP to ensure backing for a Queen's Speech and Budget if he failed to secure an overall majority, Mr Miliband said: ''I am not interested in deals, no.''
The Labour leader told BBC1's Andrew Marr Show: ''If it is a Labour government it will be a Labour Queen's Speech, it will be a Labour Budget. It will not be written by the SNP.''
But Ms Sturgeon told Sky News: "On May 8 once the votes are cast, once the people have cast their verdict, Ed Miliband, just like the rest of us, will have to respect the wishes of the people in a democratic election.
"If there is a minority government, if no party has an overall majority, then it's simply not possible to ignore the views of other parties - I know that, I was part of a minority government at the Scottish Parliament.
"So if the SNP has a large number of MPs, firstly we can use that clout to keep the Tories out, and secondly we can use it to ensure the Tories are replaced with something better, bolder and more progressive.
"If that remains the case on May 8 if he doesn't have a majority, what he will be saying to the people is rather than work with the SNP if there is an anti-Tory majority, he'd rather watch David Cameron waltz back into Downing Street.
"I don't want that and the SNP will use our votes to stop a Tory government getting off the ground if there is that anti-Tory majority."
Ms Sturgeon added: "It's the people who are in charge and the politicians have to respect the democratic wishes of the people, if Ed Miliband doesn't get a majority, as the polls are all saying he won't, then he'll have to work with other parties."
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