Akhilesh dismisses 'pro-BJP' exit polls, says prepared months in advance

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday questioned the veracity of Lok Sabha exit polls, saying the Opposition had already said "pro-BJP media" would show the ruling party crossing 300 seats in the Lok Sabha.

The exit polls, which had been prepared months before and are only being shown on TV channels now, would create scope for "fraud", Yadav alleged. He also alleged that using the exit polls, the BJP wanted to benefit from the share market which opens on Monday, and added that "disappointed faces" of BJP leaders are telling the truth.

Insisting that the INDIA bloc was winning the Lok Sabha polls, the SP chief also called on candidates and their polling agents to closely "monitor" the EVMs on counting day.

Several exit polls, which were aired on Saturday evening, predicated a comfortable majority for the BJP-led NDA. Counting of votes for the Lok Sabha polls will be held on Tuesday, 4 June.

"Understand the chronology of the exit poll. The opposition had already said pro-BJP media would show the BJP crossing 300 seats, which would create the scope for fraud. Today's pro-BJP exit poll was prepared many months ago, the channels just aired it now. Public opinion is being deceived through this exit poll," Yadav said in a post on X.

"Based on this exit poll, BJP wants to benefit from the share market which opens on Monday. If these exit polls were not false and BJP was not losing, then it would not have blamed its own people. The disappointed faces of BJP leaders are showing the truth," he added.

He said BJP leaders are realising that the result of the whole country cannot be changed like the Chandigarh mayoral election, because this time, the opposition is fully alert and public anger is also at its peak.

"Corrupt officials who are in cahoots with the BJP are also not able to muster the courage to rig the elections after seeing an active Supreme Court, and they also do not want to become a victim of public anger," the SP chief said.

All the workers, office bearers and candidates of INDIA bloc should not make even one per cent mistake in monitoring the EVMs, Yadav said and added that the opposition alliance is winning the polls. "That is why remain alert and get the counting done and celebrate the victory only after official certification," he said.

In a separate tweet he said, "The basis of exit poll is not EVM but the DM. Administration should remember that there is no greater force than people's power."