'Bid to justify rigging:' Oppn trashes exit polls

New Delhi, NT Bureau: The Congress and other INDIA bloc parties on Sunday trashed the exit polls that have predicted a third consecutive win for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Lok Sabha elections, claiming that these surveys were a work of "fantasy" and asserting that the opposition alliance will form the next government.

Questioning the credibility of the exit polls, the leaders of major opposition parties alleged that they were conducted at the behest of the government as a "deliberate attempt to justify rigging of elections" and were part of PM Modi's "mind games" to lower the morale of the INDIA bloc workers ahead of counting of votes on June 4.

"He believes everything to be a fantasy. It is his fantasy that made Congress lose the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections. This time, they are going to score a hattrick of losing Lok Sabha elections and that is why they are talking nonsense," BJP national spokesperson Prem Shukla said.

"The exit poll is a reality poll and indicates that people have shown faith in the leader who has worked for them in the last 10 years,” BJP leader Shaina NC said.

However, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed the exit poll predictions were not consistent with the ground reality and alleged that they were "manufactured at home" two months back.

"We had seen how the exit polls were conducted in 2016, 2019 and 2021. None of the predictions had turned out to be true.... these exit polls were manufactured at home by some people two months back for media consumption. They have no value," the Trinamool Congress chief told a TV channel.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, JMM leader and Jharkhand CM Champai Soren, BJD leader V K Pandian, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut were among those who questioned the reliability of the exit polls. "Understand the chronology of the exit poll.

The opposition had already said that pro-BJP media would show the BJP crossing 300 seats which would create the scope for fraud.

Rahul: No exit poll but 'Modi media poll'

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," former Congress president Rahul Gandhi told reporters.

Asked how many seats the INDIA bloc would get, Gandhi said, "Have you heard (popular singer) Sidhu Moosewala's song '295'? So 295 (seats)." The BJP hit back, saying Gandhi has been living in a "fantasy world" since childhood and is cut off from the ground reality.

Ensure postal ballots counted first, guidelines followed: INDIA bloc to EC

Leaders from the INDIA opposition bloc urged the Election Commission (EC) on Sunday to ensure that on June 4, the postal ballots are counted and their results declared before the outcome of the EVMs is announced, and stressed that the poll panel should issue clear guidelines on the counting process and ensure that those are implemented.

A delegation of leaders from the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) met the full bench of the EC on Sunday, ahead of Tuesday's counting of the votes polled in the Lok Sabha election.