Tharoor calls BJP a 'sinking ship' as it swings into celebratory mode

Unfazed by exit polls projecting a clear mandate to BJP-led NDA, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday called the saffron party a "sinking ship" and said that he does not take these poll results seriously.

Replying to reporters questions here on BJP's preparations anticipating victory in polls, he said, "They can do whatever preparations they like but it is voters who have the last say in democracy. The voters have expressed their wishes which we will know by tomorrow. Rearranging the deckchairs of a sinking ship is not the most productive activity."

"I do not take the exit polls seriously. For the last several elections, they have gone wrong. In 2004, exit polls said NDA and Mr Vajpayee will win the election (which did not happen)," the Congress leader said.

Asserting that exit polls cannot be trusted, Tharoor said that the BJP will not get the number of seats predicted by TV channels.

He said, "I am 100 per cent sure that whatever the results may be, the BJP is not going to score as high as the exit polls suggest."

Tharoor said that all exit polls happen to be biased to the ruling party and cannot be trusted.

"The reason behind the fact that all exit polls in India show bias towards the ruling party because when somebody comes and ask you who do you vote, people tend to think that this might be somebody from the government. (They think) if they will give the wrong answer, they might lose a BJP card, gas connection etc. So they name the ruling party even if they voted for someone else," he explained.

Tharoor, a sitting MP from Thiruvananthapuram, expressed confidence about his re-election from the constituency. "The (voter) turnout has seen a tremendous enthusiasm to support us. I am expecting that (the huge turnout) will translate into a better victory," he said.

The voting for 542 Lok Sabha seats came to an end on May 19. The counting of votes will begin on Thursday.