Exit polls were to boost stock market, disrupt opposition

Senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily Wednesday alleged exit polls that predicted return of the NDA government at the Centre were aimed at boosting investor sentiment on the stock market and "disrupting" opposition unity.

The former Union Minister said he strongly felt that those exit polls do not reflect the reality on the ground, and claimed that some agencies who have conducted them have now "backed out" saying "there are full of errors".

"It (exit polls predicting second term for the Modi government) must have been done with some ulterior motive. Number one is to project the stock market...people have gained between Rs 4.5 lakh crore to Rs five lakh crore"", he said.

He was referring to investor wealth soaring by more than Rs 5.33 lakh crore as the benchmark BSE Sensex sprinted more than 1,422 points Monday after exit polls predicted a return of the NDA government led by the BJP.

"And another (reason for such exit polls) is to disrupt the opposition unity. That they have not succeeded. Tomorrow (counting day), it will not be a surprise if opposition unity springs out with a majority", Moily told PTI.

Asked if unity efforts of "disparate" non-BJP, non-NDA parties would work, the former Karnataka Chief Minister said: "Sometimes it works because the common enemy is Modi and BJP. Because during elections all of them have suffered because of BJP's excesses. So, I don't think they can go with BJP".

On the "contentious" issue of choosing Prime Ministerial candidate in the event of opposition mustering the numbers to form Government, he said, "I don't think there is much difficulty in choosing PM from the opposition".

"We would like to react only tomorrow (after the results are declared)", Moily said when asked if the Congress would not insist on the post of Prime Minister.