Shashi Tharoor cites Australia exit poll debacle, says 'will wait till May 23'

Even as the exit polls predicted a clean sweep for the NDA in just concluded Lok Sabha Elections, the Congress seems to think otherwise. Senior party leader Shashi Tharoor struck a cautious note and said that ‘the exit polls are all wrong.’ At a time when most channels and newspapers show massive gains for the BJP, Tharoor maintains that these predictions should be taken with a pinch of salt. Former minister in the UPA government took to Twitter and voiced his opinion. “I believe the exit polls are all wrong. In Australia last weekend, 56 different exit polls proved wrong. In India many people don’t tell pollsters the truth fearing they might be from the Government. Will wait till 23rd for the real results,” Tharoor said on micro-blogging site.

 

I believe the exit polls are all wrong. In Australia last weekend, 56 different exit polls proved wrong. In India many people don’t tell pollsters the truth fearing they might be from the Government. Will wait till 23rd for the real results.

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) May 19, 2019

Tharoor is not the only politician who has raised questions over the veracity of exit polls. Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu has mocked at the exit polls, saying they were not exact polls. “Exit polls do not mean exact polls. We have to understand that. Since 1999, most of the exit polls have gone wrong,” the Vice-President pointed out.

Referring to the ongoing general elections, he said every party exuded confidence (over victory). “Everyone exhibits his own confidence till the 23rd (day of counting). There will be no base for it. So we have to wait for 23rd,” Naidu said at an informal meeting in Guntur.

Narendra Modi remains the top choice for Prime Ministerial candidate with 50 per cent approval rating in the Lok Sabha elections 2019, according to the News Nation exit poll on Sunday. Modi is followed by Congress president Rahul Gandhi who trails with 32 per cent. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati is at the third position with 5 per cent, while Rahul Gandhi’s sister and Congress general secretary (UP East) Priyanka Gandhi’s approval rating is merely 4 per cent for the PM post.

The News Nation exit poll also predicted that BJP’s Narendra Modi is set to return as Prime Minister for the second term on May 23 when the results will be announced. The channel predicted that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will win anything between 282 and 290 seats, while the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) may garner a maximum of 126 seats.