Lok Sabha Elections 2024: LDF in Kerala rejects exit poll predictions; term it suspicious, politically motivated

Thiruvananthapuram: The ruling Left in Kerala and the Congress on Sunday rejected as "baseless" the exit poll predictions which said that the BJP-led NDA will come to power at the Centre and also open its account in the state where it has not had an MP in the past.

The LDF also termed the predictions as "suspicious" and "politically motivated", while the Congress said that there is no need to believe the exit polls as they have been proved wrong in the past.

The LDF and the Congress, both of whom are confident of a good show in the Lok Sabha polls in the state, were in agreement that the BJP will not open its account in Kerala.

LDF convener and veteran CPI(M) leader E P Jayarajan said the exit poll predictions were not arrived at through some scientific findings or experiments, "it was not based on public sentiments" and was not an observation following a proper analysis of the elections.

"I suspect it is politically motivated. All the exit polls have taken a stand that repeats and strengthens what the BJP has been saying till now (about the poll results). That is what makes it even more suspicious," he told a TV channel.

A similar view was expressed by senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, who said that he will not accept exit polls which based on a sample size of 1,000 people make predictions about how lakhs of people voted.

"We have no faith in the exit polls. There is no need to believe in them. There is a strong public sentiment against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the country. We firmly believe that the I.N.D.I.A. bloc will win and that it will reach the figure of 295 predicted by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge," he said.

"We are moving forward with the belief that the I.N.D.I.A. bloc will form a government at the Centre. Also the UDF will have a huge win in Kerala. We will win all 20 seats," he added.

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief K Sudhakaran and his party colleague K Muraleedharan were also confident that the UDF will win all 20 seats in Kerala and that BJP will not get even one. They, too, said that exit polls have been wrong in the past.

Jayarajan too questioned how the exit polls were predicting that the BJP will open its account in the southern state.

"I believe it is a political creation. The BJP has hardly any chance of opening its account in Kerala. The actual fact is that the BJP will not get even one seat in Kerala," he said.

The LDF convener further said that Kerala was a secular state with a new generation that was highly educated and secular in its outlook.

"Kerala society does not wish for a communal party to come here," he added.

On being asked whether Kharge's prediction of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc winning 295 seats was accurate, Jayarajan said "the fact is that it is possible".

"In two days the picture will be clear," he added.

While rejecting the predictions, he said that there should be extreme vigil during the counting process on June 4.

His party colleague and CPI(M) Central Committee member A K Balan, was also of the view that the BJP would not open its account in Kerala and that it would not get a majority at the national level.

"We cannot believe that the BJP will come back to power based on the exit polls. The predictions are a lie and have no connection with reality," he said.

He further said that all the seats from Kerala will go to the I.N.D.I.A. bloc, but the exact share of the LDF and UDF will be clear only after results come on June 4. However, Balan was confident that LDF would have a good show in Kerala.

On whether BJP will win in Thrissur, the CPI(M) leader said it was not possible, but if it happens, then the Congress would have to be blamed for it. The BJP has fielded actor Suresh Gopi in Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency.

The exit polls predicted that the BJP would nationally win over 350 seats and that it would open its account in Kerala.

On Saturday, CPI National Council Secretary Binoy Viswam said on social media platform 'X' that the exit polls were "orchestrated" predictions that were part of a pre-designed strategy.

He had also said, while speaking to PTI, that exit polls were run by corporate houses, who have a political affinity for the BJP at their core.

Viswam said the predictions were a "total show" and "pre-decided survey results".

"We, after observing the situation at the national level and studying the prospects of the I.N.D.I.A. parties, are almost confident that we are going to win," he said.

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