Congress Rejects Exit Polls, Says They Are Far from Reality

The Congress rejected the exit polls stating that the figures were far from reality as it did not match the ground level feedback provided by the workers of the INDIA bloc. The exit polls predicting victory for the NDA with over 350/543 seats while 150 seats for the INDIA bloc.

New Delhi:The Congress on Saturday rejected the exit polls saying the projections were far from being a true reflection of the voter sentiment and did not match the ground level feedback provided by the workers of the INDIA bloc. The polls mostly projected a win for the ruling NDA with over 350/543 seats and limited the INDIA bloc to below 150 seats.

“These exit polls are driven by a profit motive and are on the expected lines. We reject them. These surveys are far from the ground level feedback provided by our workers. We will go by our workers and not such surveys done by private agencies,” AICC secretary in-charge of Maharashtra Ashish Dua told ETV Bharat.

“We have toured the areas in the state where we sensed the voter sentiment, which was totally against the BJP and its allies. The real numbers would only be on June 4. The opposition alliance will get over 35 of the 48 seats in Maharashtra,” he said. According to the AICC functionary, if the exit polls were closer to reality, why were the BJP and the PM silent on their achievements?

“The BJP and the PM instead kept attacking the Congress manifesto rather than talk about their own document. That would not be the case if they were sure of the numbers,” said Dua.

According to AICC secretary in-charge of Telangana Rohit Chaudhary, while there was anti-Pakistan sentiment in 2019 after the Pulwama terror attack on a CRPF convoy, which killed 40 jawans, there was no such wave in 2024.

“The aftermath of the Pulwama attack helped the BJP in 2019. But, there was no such wave in their support this time. In fact, the voter was totally silent in this election, which made the task of reading his mind more challenging for the pollsters,” Chaudhary told ETV Bharat.

“Moreover, these surveys seem close to the numbers the BJP had been claiming even before the polls started, making such projections doubtful. Also, how could the voter sentiment remain the same through all the seven phases of the polls as projected by these surveys when in reality the elections evolved from phase to phase,” he said.

To support his point, Chaudhary cited the BJP’s claim of winning 400 seats till phase 2 of polls only to abandon midway as they started counting the losses. The AICC functionary said the Congress would win eight to ten seats in Telangana while the BJP may win six due to polarisation, but noted the BRS would get only one seat at the maximum.

“Last year the exit polls projected a BRS win in Telangana, but in fact they suffered anti-incumbency of 10 years. The same will happen to the BJP at the Centre after 10 years. In these elections, the BRS would be reduced to the third player in the state,” said Chaudhary.

According to AICC secretary in-charge of Gujarat BM Sandeep Kumar, a year ago similar exit polls had projected a BJP win in Karnataka assembly elections where the Congress actually came to power in 2023.

“These surveys are good for TV debates and provide some amusement, but are of little value to us. They are projecting gains for the BJP in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, but the reality is just the opposite. The INDIA alliance is sweeping the states. We are also gaining a few seats in Gujarat as compared to the BJP’s sweep over the 2014 and 2019 polls,” Kumar told ETV Bharat.