Oppn rejects exit polls result; to wait till result day to firm up strategy

Opposition leaders on Monday rejected the exit polls that have predicted a majority for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), and said they could meet in the national capital on Thursday, the day of counting of votes, to firm up their strategy if trends point to a hung Parliament.

A delegation of Opposition leaders will meet Election Commission officials on Tuesday. On Monday, Samajwadi Party (SP) President Akhilesh Yadav met Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati in Lucknow. In Kolkata, Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu met Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee.

Yadav drove to the residence of Mayawati and their discussion lasted an hour. Naidu had met the two separately in Lucknow on Saturday. The SP and the BSP, along with the Rashtriya Lok Dal, had contested the Lok Sabha polls as part of a pre-poll alliance on 78 of the Uttar Pradesh’s (UP’s) 80 seats.

In Chennai, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief M K Stalin said his party did not believe in exit poll projections even if they are favourable to his party. Most exit polls have predicted the DMK-led alliance would win most of Tamil Nadu’s 39 Lok Sabha seats. 

On Opposition leaders meeting in New Delhi on May 23, he said, “Such meetings will be useful only if held after results are known. So we are waiting.”