The leaders of the Opposition INDIA bloc on Saturday rejected the projections of Exit Poll 2024, most of which predicted the return of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA with 300 plus seats. INDIA bloc leaders, who attended a meeting on the day of the last phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024, said that the channels have instructions from the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) to run such numbers, and these are all psychological games ahead of the announcement of election results by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on June 4.
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh quipped that the party, which is going to exit on June 4 has orchestrated these exit polls and reaffirmed that INDIA bloc will win at least 295 seats in the Lok Sabha elections 2024. “The man whose exit is certain on June 4 has had these exit polls orchestrated. The INDIA Janbandhan will get a minimum of 295 seats, a clear and decisive majority. The outgoing Prime Minister can remain smug for three days in the meanwhile. These are all psychological games he is masterminding but the ACTUAL results will be very different” Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X.
One of the most surprising takeaways from the Exit Poll 2024 has been the prediction of BJP’s improvement in South India. Most of the Exit Polls have displayed complete sweep to BJP-led NDA in Karnataka, where they lost the Assembly Election last year. Moreover, they are predicted to open their account in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar rejected the findings of Exit Poll 2024 and said, “I repeatingly don’t believe in any exit polls. I am confidently saying that we will cross double digits in Karnataka.”
Shashi Tharoor, a prominent Congress leader from Kerala, who is up against Union Minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar in Thiruvananthapuram, called Exit Poll 2024 “deeply unscientific. “…We have been travelling throughout the country campaigning and have a sense of what is the reality on the ground. Exit polls are deeply unscientific. Last year, most exit polls got the results wrong in Chhattisgarh & Rajasthan. What we are interested in is the real poll- the public’s votes…BJP will lose significantly in Karnataka, and they certainly won’t gain in Kerala and Tamil Nadu,” Tharoor said while speaking with media.
‘Instructions from PMO’
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Jha leveled serious allegations against the channels running Exit Poll 2024 and said they have instructions from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), which has spent a lot of money on the work.
“I have seen many exit polls, but neither my political party nor I believed in these exit polls. We have several examples of this. Channels have instructions from PMOs and have spent a lot of money. I have been a part of Tejashwi Yadav’s campaign…this campaign has created a wave in the ground among people. There were two options with them, either ‘Mujra and Mangalsutra’ or a war for employment…against inflation,” Manoj Jha said.
Another senior Congress leader questioned why all Exit Poll 2024 began from South India and called it a question of Television Rating Points (TRP).
“There is a common thing that is visible in all the mainstream media, all started exit poll from Tamil Nadu, Kerala and then Karnataka and Telangana…on June 4, results will come anyway, right now it is the question of TRP…,” former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel said.
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Published: 01 Jun 2024, 10:21 PM IST