Hopeful that the results will be different from exit polls, says Congress leader Sonia Gandhi

Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi on June 3 said that her party was hopeful that the actual Lok Sabha election results would be the opposite of what had been projected in exit polls.

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On the sidelines of a function in Parliament to mark the birth centenary of the late Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi, Ms. Gandhi spoke to the Press Trust of India (PTI) on the exit poll results that have given a clear majority to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). While some exit polls have given the NDA more than 400 seats, most have predicted that it will win over 350, which is significantly above the majority mark of 272 seats needed to form the government.

“We have to wait, just wait and see,” Ms. Gandhi told PTI when asked about her expectations from the Lok Sabha results that are scheduled to be announced on Tuesday.

“We are very hopeful that our results are completely opposite to what the exit polls are showing,” the CPP chairperson added.

Ms. Gandhi made the remarks after attending an event held at the DMK’s office to offer tributes to mark the 100th birth anniversary of the party’s stalwart.

The Congress and other Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc parties have rejected the exit polls, with former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi terming them “Modi media polls”.

“This is not called an exit poll but its name is ‘Modi media poll’. This is Modi-ji’s poll, it is his fantasy poll,” Mr. Gandhi had said on Sunday, reiterating the INDIA bloc’s projections of 295 seats and government formation.

Earlier, speaking at the event marking the birth centenary of Karunanidhi, Ms. Gandhi said it was a pleasure for her to be with her colleagues from the DMK on the very auspicious occasion.

“I had the good fortune of meeting him on many occasions, listening to what he had to say, and benefiting from his words of wisdom and advice. I feel fortunate to have met him,” she said.