India: ‘Exit Polls Are All Wrong’

Hours after exit polls on Sunday indicated a huge win for the National Democratic Alliance, Congress parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor tweeted his reading of the prediction as something that can also turn out "all wrong".

"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," tweeted the Congress parliamentarian, who contested for a third term from Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram seat.

Tharoor was referring to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison winning what was seen as an unwinnable election, cementing his authority over the Liberal Party and giving him the muscle to end a decade of instability that has seen a revolving door of prime ministers.

The poll of polls, an aggregate of exit polls, gives the BJP-led NDA 302 of 543 seats and the Congress and its allies 122.

Though opposition leaders have rubbished the exit polls, National Conference chief Omar Abdullah's tweet that did not outright cast doubts on the exit polls is likely to be seen as a harbinger of the actual results, which the Election Commission will announce on Thursday.

"Every single exit poll can't be wrong! Time to switch off the TV, log out of social media & wait to see if the world is still spinning on its axis on the 23rd," Abdullah said.

Telegu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee have dismissed the predictions of the exit polls, with both pointing out that past experience show such analysis usually turn out wrong.

"Time and again exit polls have failed to catch the people's pulse. Exit polls have proved to be incorrect and far from ground reality in many instances..." Naidu tweeted.

Banerjee went further with her allegations that electronic voting machines (EVMs) would be "manipulated" "I don't trust Exit Poll gossip. The game plan is to manipulate or replace thousands of EVMs through this gossip. I appeal to all Opposition parties to be united, strong and bold. We will fight this battle together," the Trinamool Congress chief tweeted.