Congress Tells Party Workers Not to Lose Hope over Exit Polls

Congress party leaders said the prevailing situation was akin to 2004 when the UPA defied projections and came to power. The party told workers not to lose hope over exit polls and remain alert on vote counting day on June 4

New Delhi:The Congress on Sunday asked party workers not to lose hope over the exit polls, which predicted an NDA win on Saturday and directed them to remain focused and alert on the vote counting day on June 4. “I have been in constant touch with our candidates as well as party workers since the polling ended on Saturday. I have asked them not to get disheartened over the exit poll predictions, which are manipulated. Instead, they should remain calm, focused and alert on June 4 when the votes will be counted. Before that, they should keep an eye on the strongrooms where the EVMs used in the polling have been kept,” AICC in-charge of Uttar Pradesh Avinash Pande told ETV Bharat.

According to the AICC functionary, the directive is the result of a suspicion within the party that some kind of tinkering with the EVMs may have taken place or may take place. “We have seen so many complaints related to the functioning of the EVMs during the seven phased polling. We brought the same to the Election Commission’s notice, but nothing happened. Earlier, we also lodged several complaints of violation of the model poll code by the BJP, but nothing happened. Therefore, we need to remain alert on our own. These are very crucial national elections and we can’t take a chance. All our months of hard work would go to waste if we become complacent on the counting day,” said Pande.

According to party insiders, the INDIA bloc had instructed all its candidates and workers to collect Form 17 C from the poll officials to verify the exact count of votes polled published by the EC. Also, the poll panel’s move not to allow counting agents of the candidates at the counting tables on June 4 had made the opposition parties suspicious. According to party insiders, a group of INDIA bloc leaders were expected to urge the EC to rectify this anomaly to ensure a transparent counting process.

“First there was a delay of 11 days in the publishing of voting data of phase 1. Finally, it happened when the top court intervened in the matter. Furthermore, the data updated after the successive phases of polling showed an increase in the actual numbers again raising doubts,” said a senior AICC functionary.

According to party insiders, the prevailing situation across the country was akin to the 2004 national polls when the exit polls had predicted a win for the ruling NDA, but finally the UPA got more numbers and formed the alliance government.

“The 2004 results are likely to be repeated in 2024. The exit polls were proved wrong in 2004 national polls and later in the 2015 Bihar assembly polls and the 2023 Karnataka assembly polls. Our workers must be in high spirits ahead of the counting day,” AICC functionary Ajoy Kumar told ETV Bharat.

According to party insiders, key state leaders on Sunday told the high command that the exit polls were playing the BJP’s tune to demoralise the opposition and were not reliable. They further claimed that the filed reports gathered by them were different from the exit polls and that the INDIA bloc was on its way to forming the next government at the Centre.

While Punjab CLP leader Partap Singh Bajwa claimed the NDA was not winning any seat out of the total 13 in the northern state, the Congress was winning 10 seats. Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasara claimed that the party was winning more than 12 seats out of the total 25.

UP Congress Ajay Rai claimed there would be major contribution of Congress-SP alliance in the state in the INDIA bloc’s win. Karnataka Congress chief and deputy chief minister DK Shiv Kumar claimed the exit polls projections for the state were surprising and the Congress will win 18 of total 28 seats in the state. Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole claimed the Congress-Shiv Sena UBT-NCP-SP alliance will win 38-40 out of total 48 seats in the western state.