Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has slammed exit polls that predict second term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while raising concerns over the credibility of electronic voting machines (EVM) just ahead of the big Lok Sabha election results day on May 23.
"The exit poll surveys on May 19 only reiterated the serious concern of the Opposition parties on misuse of vulnerable EVMs for electoral gains by the ruling party," Kumaraswamy said in a series of tweets Monday.
"Entire Opposition political parties had expressed concern over credibility of EVMs under PM Narendra Modi's rule. Opposition parties even knocked the doors of the Supreme Court asking for a traditional ballet paper elections to avoid defective EVMs that are vulnerable to fraud," he pointed out, adding that developed countries world over has switched to paper ballots.
Most exit polls have also indicated that the BJP would win big in Karnataka, where the saffron party went up against a JD(S)-Congress combine. The Lok Sabha election was a high-stakes one for Kumaraswamy, for the longevity of the coalition government he heads is widely believed to depend on how well the JD(S)-Congress performs.
"Exit polls are being used to create an impression that there is still a Modi wave in the country," Kumaraswamy said. "This artificially engineered or manufactured Modi wave is being used by the BJP to lure regional parties well in advance to fill any shortfall after the results on May 23."
He said exit polls were an effort to create "false impression" of a Modi wave. "As they say, it is just an exit poll, not exact poll," Kumaraswamy said.