Exit polls are ‘Modi media’ fantasy, says Rahul as Opposition rejects surveys

A day after all major exit polls gave a clear majority to the BJP-led NDA for a third term, Opposition leaders rejected the predictions outright. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called it a “Modi media poll.”

“This is Modi ji’s poll, a fantasy poll,” Mr. Gandhi said on Sunday, adding that the Opposition bloc will get 295 of the 543 seats in the Lok Sabha.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee, whose party, the Trinamool Congress, is shown as getting fewer seats than the BJP in West Bengal, alleged that “the exit polls were prepared by the BJP two months ago.”

‘Fake’ polls

“These exit polls have been prepared by the BJP and then given to the media. I am clearly telling you that they have no value. They are fake,” Ms. Banerjee told a channel. Her party shared the statement on its official X handle.

She, however, neither endorsed the 295-figure provided by INDIA bloc leaders nor did she give a number for her party in West Bengal.

But in an unusual pushback to the exit polls, the Congress invited the media to an online interaction that the party’s communication chief, Jairam Ramesh, had with Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chiefs.

The PCC presidents shared their assessments of the polls in their respective States.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said his party would win at least two-thirds of the 28 seats; Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa said all the surveys have given 7-9 seats to the Congress; and Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the Congress has an edge in two parliamentary seats and is in a tight contest for the two other seats.

Mr. Sukhu was also confident that the Congress would win the six Assembly seats where by-elections have taken place.

Assam Congress chief Bhupen Borah claimed that his party would win at least half of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole, Haryana state unit chief Udai Bhan, Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra and Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajai Rai also exuded confidence in performing much better than exit poll projections.

Mind games

Mr. Ramesh claimed the Prime Minister and Home Minister were playing mind games, but the INDIA bloc would win.

“These are bogus polls, and psychological games are being played. Pressure is being applied by the outgoing PM and HM on the Opposition parties, the Election Commission, and counting agents to create an atmosphere that they are coming back. The reality is the exact opposite, he said.

His colleague Pawan Khera noted, “If you want to make some extra money on the Satta market or influence the stock markets on Monday for the sake of your friends, it’s okay. But if you have a larger conspiracy and you are trying to legitimise that conspiracy through these figures, then the country is watching you.”

Earlier in the day, party president Mallikarjun Kharge, general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal, and Mr. Gandhi connected with the party’s Lok Sabha candidates on Zoom to discuss counting on June 4. They asked them to be extra vigilant.

“All the candidates have been given a checklist as it is important to have a free and fair counting process,”Mr. Ramesh said.