Sonia Gandhi says, results will be just the opposite of what exit polls predicted

April 22, 2024 10:51 am

Published by: factnews

The Fact News Service

June 3, New Delhi

Sonia Gandhi, the former president of the Congress, expressed optimism on Monday that the INDIA bloc’s outcomes would be “completely opposite” of what the exit polls had projected.

Gandhi’s response comes the day before the Lok Sabha election vote counting begins, and it follows exit polls that showed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) winning spectacularly.

When asked how enthusiastic she was about the INDIA group forming the government at the Centre, the veteran Congress politician responded, “We are very hopeful that our results are completely opposite of what the exit poll is saying.”

On the sidelines of an event honouring former Tamil Nadu chief minister M. Karunanidhi on the occasion of his birth anniversary, she reportedly remarked, “We have to wait, just wait and see.”

Ten exit polls indicate that the BJP will win handily, and some even project that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would obtain a two-thirds majority in the 543-member House. According to exit surveys, the BJP’s vote total will above the 2019 threshold and may even reach 350, with the Congress—its principal rival—likely being held below 75.

Sonia’s comment are similar to those of other INDIA Bloc leaders who have rejected the exit polls and claimed that the alliance would win 295 seats.

The CVOTER founder Yashwant Deshmukh responded to the criticism by Rahul Gandhi and recalled the occasions when its exit polls predicted victories for the non-BJP parties. “They can say that they are fantasy polls of PM Modi but when our exit polls were showing that Congress is winning in Karnataka or Telangana or other INDI alliance partners in West Bengal, Delhi, Punjab, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.”

Many a time, exit polls are found to be completely inaccurate and have often got the verdict wrong in earlier polls, mostly in states with diverse populations, castes, etc. However, they do tell us about the trends.