 "Exit polls 2024: How political leaders reacted to pollsters' predictions")
After the exit polls 2024 forecasted a third term for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government on Saturday, a heated exchange ensued between the leaders of the saffron party and Congress.
The Congress and other INDIA alliance parties dismissed the exit polls as “far-fetched” and “difficult to believe.” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi labelled the exit polls as “Modi-media polls” and expressed confidence that the INDIA bloc would secure 295 seats.
Challenging the credibility of the exit polls, leaders of major Opposition parties claimed they were conducted at the behest of the government as a “deliberate attempt to justify election rigging” and were part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “mind games” to demoralise INDIA bloc workers ahead of the vote count on June 4.
What the 2024 exit polls predict
The News18 Mega Exit Poll suggested that the BJP is likely to win a majority with 305 to 315 seats, while Congress might secure over 62-72 seats. According to the predictions, the NDA will achieve victory in the Lok Sabha polls by winning 355 to 370 seats, whereas the Opposition-led INDIA bloc will win 125 to 140 seats.
Poll survey agency C-Voter predicted that the BJP-led NDA would win up to 383 seats. Of the 543 Lok Sabha seats, the pollster predicted NDA winning between 353 to 383 seats, while the Opposition INDIA bloc may win anywhere between 152 to 182 seats.
The India Today-Axis My India poll predicted the NDA would win at least 361 seats and could secure up to 401 seats. The INDIA bloc, with Congress as its largest constituent, was likely to win at least 131 seats and a maximum of 166 seats. Other parties, according to the India Today exit poll, could win eight to 10 seats.
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PM Modi 'thanks' voters after poll prediction
Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the people of the country on Saturday for exercising their franchise and exuded confidence that NDA's numbers are looking better and better.
"India has voted! A heartfelt thank you to all those who exercised their franchise. Their active participation is the cornerstone of our democracy. Their commitment and dedication ensures that the democratic spirit thrives in our nation. I would also like to specially appreciate India's Nari Shakti and Yuva Shakti. Their strong presence at the polls is a very encouraging sign," PM Modi said in a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter).
"They have seen our track record and the manner in which our work has brought about a qualitative change in the lives of the poor, marginalised and downtrodden," PM Modi said.
At the same time, they have seen how the reforms in India have propelled the nation to being the fifth-largest global economy, he added.
Lashing out at the Opposition coalition, PM Modi said, "The opportunistic INDI Alliance failed to strike a chord with the voters. They are casteist, communal and corrupt. This alliance, aimed to protect a handful of dynasties, failed to present a futuristic vision for the nation."
"Through the campaign, they only enhanced their expertise on one thing- Modi bashing. Such regressive politics has been rejected by the people," he added.
He also praised each and every NDA worker across the length and breadth of India.
"I compliment them for meticulously explaining our development agenda to the people and motivating them to come out and vote. Our karyakartas are our greatest strength," PM Modi said.
Sonia Gandhi on exit polls predicting BJP win
On Monday, former Congress president and Rajya Sabha MP Sonia Gandhi said the Opposition was hopeful that the 2024 Lok Sabha election results would be "completely opposite" to the prediction made by exit polls.
"Just wait and watch. We are very hopeful that our results are completely the opposite to what the exit polls are showing," she said.
Rahul Gandhi calls exit polls ‘Modi media poll’
On Sunday, senior Congress leader and MP Rahul Gandhi called the exit polls “Modi media poll” and said the INDIA bloc would win 295 Lok Sabha seats.
“Modi poll… This is not called exit polls. It is called the Modi media poll. This is Modiji’s polls, his fantasy poll. Have you heard Sidhu Moose Wala’s song 295," said Rahul.
Arvind Kejriwal says ‘exit polls fake’
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said Lok Sabha exit poll results are “completely fake”, and stated the BJP won’t form the government on June 4 when results are officially declared.
"I can give it in writing that the exit polls are absolutely fake. One exit poll gave 33 seats to the BJP in Rajasthan which has only 25 Lok Sabha seats. They must have been under pressure to give more seats to the BJP…The entire exit polls are fake. I believe that they are not going to form the government on June 4. The exit polls are part of a mind game used by them to discourage you. Do not get discouraged. The way we uprooted the British, we need to remove them [from power],” Kejriwal said.
“The real issue is…..why they [BJP] needed to get the exit polls conducted three days before the counting of votes. Many narratives are going on… they manipulated the machines [EVMs]. But I want to tell every INDIA alliance party that they should instruct their counting agents to be totally alert. Even if their candidate is losing, they should stay there [counting centre] till the end [of counting]. On many occasions when their candidate is losing after multiple rounds, they leave…they should not leave [counting centre]. At the end, when the random matching of the [VVPAT] slips from different booths on the votes polled in the EVMs is done the way ballot papers were counted earlier, if a single EVM votes and VVPAT slips do not match, then election is cancelled. If you are able to check this, then we can expose any EVM scam if they have done so. Everyone must stay till the end even if your candidate is losing,” Kejriwal added.
Mamata Banerjee trashes exit polls
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed that exit polls telecast by media houses were not in sync with the ground reality because they were "manufactured at home" two months ago.
“We had seen how the exit polls were conducted in 2016, 2019 and 2021. None of the predictions had turned out to be true,” Banerjee told TV9-Bangla.
"These exit polls were manufactured at home by some people two months back for media consumption. They have no value," she added.
Akhilesh Yadav questions credibility of exit polls 2024
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav questioned the veracity of exit polls and claimed the agencies conducting them were only trying to create a conducive atmosphere in favour of the BJP.
"We and you [media] were among the people to strengthen democracy. We have seen they [BJP] did not have people [in their rallies], their tents were empty...nothing was seen in their favour," Yadav said.
"They [exit polls agencies] are making a 'mahaul' [conducive atmosphere] in the BJP's favour. The elections are over. The exit polls are showing many things. The BJP is responsible for many things. They disturbed peace and brotherhood. They conspired to end reservation. They increased crime against women. They made a record of wrong behaviour. They triggered inflation, unemployment. The poor become poorer," he added.
Shashi Tharoor calls exit polls deeply unscientific
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor termed the exit poll predictions "deeply unscientific" and said that BJP won't be making gains in Kerala and Tamil Nadu and will lose "significantly" in Karnataka.
"We have been travelling throughout the country campaigning and have a sense of what is the reality on the ground. Exit polls are deeply unscientific. Last year, the majority of exit polls got the results wrong in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. What we are interested in is the real poll- the votes of the public are going to decide our political future," he said.
AAP's Bharti vows to shave head if Modi retains PM post
After exit polls projected a clear majority for the BJP-led NDA alliance, AAP leader Somnath Bharti voiced his dismay with the trends and stated that he will "shave his head" if Narendra Modi becomes the Prime Minister for the third consecutive term.
Taking to X, Bharti stated, “I will shave off my head if Mr. Modi becomes PM for the third time. Mark my words! All exit polls will be proven wrong on June 4, and Modi ji will not become prime minister for the third time.”
“In Delhi, all seven seats will go to India ALLIANCE. Fear of Mr Modi does not allow exit polls to show him loose (lose). Hence, we all need to wait for the actual results scheduled to be delivered on June 4th. People have voted very heavily against BJP," he further stated.
Chandrababu Naidu says NDA will be 'indisputable' winner
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday exuded confidence that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will emerge as the 'indisputable and unquestionable winner in the elections.
"All the exit polls clearly indicated the victory of the NDA and the alliance is going to form the governments both at the Centre and in the state," Chandrababu Naidu said.
"The YSRCP is now in the process of finding reasons for its defeat, and the efforts to create a sort of commotion on the directions issued by the poll panel on the postal ballots by moving the court is part of this exercise," Chandrababu Naidu said, cautioning the NDA leaders that there is every possibility that these YSRCP leaders may resort to various irregularities and attacks on the counting day too.
Sanjay Raut says 'exit polls are corporate game'
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut rejected the exit polls 2024 projections, calling it a ‘corporate game'.
“These exit poll predictions are a corporate game. You give them money, and they will release figures in your favour. If we come to power tomorrow and have money, we can release our own tally through exit polls. INDIA alliance will form the government by securing 295-310 seats," news agency PTI quoted Raut as saying.
Lok Sabha election results: Where to watch vote counting
The official Election Commission of India (ECI) website will display counting trends and results. These will be available at https://results.eci.gov.in/ and on the Voter Helpline App for both iOS and Android devices.
For comprehensive coverage, Business Standard will provide minute-by-minute updates, breaking stories, latest trends, detailed analysis, and liveblogs, focusing on key seats across all states.
One can also track https://www.business-standard.com/elections, a dedicated page set up to deliver real-time updates for the Lok Sabha elections 2024.
For those preferring online platforms, Lok Sabha poll results will be live-streamed on Business Standard’s YouTube channel and other social media platforms.