Exit polls are being shown to discourage you, says Priyanka Gandhi

Priyanka Gandhi

Amidst exit polls predicting a comfortable victory for the BJP-led NDA, Congress General Secretary in charge of UP East, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, on Monday sent an audio recording to her party workers, urging them not to believe in the survey.

"Exit polls are being shown to discourage you. Do not believe them. Remain alert in the strong rooms and counting rooms. I am positive that our hard work will reap fruits," said the Gandhi scion in the audio clip.

Issuing a recorded audio message for Congress workers, she said they should not fall prey to "rumours and exit poll trends which are being promoted to undermine the spirits of Congress persons."

"Don't be disheartened with rumours and exit polls. These are crafted to undermine your spirits. Because of all this your alertness becomes all the more important. Be on your guard on strong rooms and counting centres. We are sure our and your hard work will bear fruit," Priyanka said in the message.

Most exit polls have predicted a majority for the BJP-led NDA, leaving the UPA far behind.

The exit polls on television channels on Monday projected that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will retain power at the Centre again. Most of the pollsters gave Prime Minister Narendra Modi a clear majority in the 543-member Lok Sabha. Polling for seven-phased Lok Sabha elections started on April 11 and concluded on May 19. The much-awaited results of the general elections will be announced on May 23.

BJP's state unit chief Ranjit Dass dismissed the comments and said his party will be winning 10 of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in the state. "We campaigned to increase our tally from the seven seats we had won in 2014 and even before the exit polls came, we were confident of winning ten seats," he said. "The BJP is sure of forming government at the Centre and the Congress is making false and useless allegations as it is going to lose miserably," Dass said.

However, BJP ally BPF's Kokrajhar candidate Pramila Rani Brahma, who is also the state social welfare minister, said the exit polls may be "exaggerated but I am confident of winning from my constituency".

NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Monday doubted the exit poll projections that the BJP-led NDA will
retain power at the Centre, calling them a nautanki (farce), adding the "truth" will be out in two days when counting of votes for Lok Sabha polls is held on May 23. The former Union minister was speaking at an iftaar event in south Mumbai in the evening.

"There is a strange atmosphere in the country today...After 6 pm yesterday, there was a sense of unease after seeing all the TV channels and newspapers. "People have been calling me...I told them that an attempt is being made by those who control the electronic media to present a different view (through the exit polls)... The truth will come out after two days (on May 23)," Pawar
said.

The NCP chief said elections will come and go and someone is bound to win or lose.

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Edited by mid-day online desk with inputs from Agencies