Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Akhilesh rejects 'pro-BJP' exit polls; says their base ‘DM’ not ‘EVM’

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday categorically rejected the exit polls for the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections, which had indicated return of the NDA with a thumping majority, and said that the base of the exit polls were ‘DM’ (district magistrates) and not ‘EVM’ (Electronic Voting Machine).

In his posts on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), Akhilesh said that the opposition had already revealed that the ‘’BJP media’’ would show the saffron party 300 plus so that there remained possibilities for committing irregularities (in counting).

He also said that the exit polls had been ‘prepared’ several months back. ‘’They were aired by the TV channels today,’’ he added.

Akhilesh said that the people were being ‘deceived’ through such exit polls and indicated that they were meant to influence the share market. ‘’The BJP people want to make profits from the share market when it opens on Monday before being ousted from power ,’’ he added.

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.

"Understand the chronology of the exit poll. The opposition had already said that pro-BJP media would show the BJP crossing 300 seats that would create the scope for fraud. Today's pro-BJP exit poll was prepared many months ago, the channels just aired it now. People's 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 BJP would not have blamed its own people. The disappointed faces of BJP leaders are showing the truth," he added.

The SP president said that the BJP knew very well that the outcome of the Lok Sabha polls could not be ‘altered’ like the Mayoral poll in Chandigarh as the opposition was ‘alert’ and the ‘public anger’ was at its peak.

He said that the officials who were hand in glove with the BJP were also ‘afraid of’ the Supreme Court and were unable to gather courage to commit irregularities. ‘’They also do not want to incur the wrath of the public,’’ Akhilesh added.

He asked the party workers to keep a close eye on the EVMs. SP had contested the polls in alliance with the Congress.

"Corrupt officials who are in cahoots with 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.

Most of the exit polls have predicted 10-16 seats for the SP in Uttar Pradesh and 1-3 seats for the Congress. The NDA has been predicted to win 64-67 seats. The BSP could draw a blank this time, according to the exit polls.

Counting of votes would be taken up on Tuesday.

(With PTI inputs)

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