Opposition Parties and Social Activists wary of mass EVM manipulation, reject Exit Polls gossip




Voting concludes in Lok Sabha Elections 2019 today and the Exit Polls predictions have begun. TV channels have started giving away a full mandate to BJP led NDA. In Exit polls of different channels, BJP led NDA stands voted back to power with a thumping majority.

Many exit polls predicted that SP-BSP alliance in Uttar Pradesh is likely to trump the BJP in the country’s politically most crucial State. The BJP had won 71 and its ally Apna Dal two of its 80 seats in 2014. However, many news channels are yet to give a final figure. The saffron alliance may not touch even half way mark of 40 in Uttar Pradesh this time, some exit polls said.

Different Exit Poll Predictions

Times Now: NDA 306, UPA 132, Others 104

India News: NDA 298, UPA 118, Others 127

Republic: NDA 295-315, UPA 122-125, Others 102-125 (Republic TV has done two exit polls. According to CVoter NDA will get 287, UPA 128, others 127. Jan Ki Baat prediction is: NDA 305, UPA 124, Others 87, Mahagathbandhan 26)

NDTV’s poll of exit polls gives NDA 300, UPA 127 and Others 115

IANS CVOTER: BJP: 236, Congress: 80; NDA: 287 (BJP: 236, BPF: 1, JD(U)+LJP: 20, Shiv Sena: 15, NPP: 1, NDPP: 1, SAD: 1, SPM: 1, AIADMK+: 10, Apna Dal: 1)

Neta-News X: NDA 242, UPA 164, Others 136

News 18-IPSOS: NDA 336, UPA 82, Others 124

ABP-Nielsen: NDA 267, UPA 127, others 148; (BJP 218, Congress 81)

India Today-Axis My India: NDA 339-365, UPA 77-108, Others 69-95

Exit poll projections for U.P.

The all important U.P. numbers from different exit polls are here:

ABP-CSDS: NDA 22, MGB 56, UPA/others 2

Republic-C Voter: NDA 38, MGB 40, UPA/others 2

Republic-Jan Ki Baat: NDA 46-57, MGB 21-32, UPA/others 2-4

Times Now VMR: NDA 58, MGB 20, UPA/others 2

News18-IPSOS: NDA 60-62, MGB 17-19, UPA/others 1-2

NewsX-Neta: NDA 33, MGB 42, UPA/others 5

Opposition Leaders and Social Activists Term Exit polls Modi Sponsored Media gossip, Wary of EVM manipulation

Dubbing exit polls as “gossip”, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee said she doesn’t trust such surveys, as the “game plan” is to use them for “manipulation” of EVMs.

“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,” Ms. Banerjee tweeted.

In West Bengal, some of the exit polls suggested the Trinamool getting 24 seats, the BJP bagging 16, the Congress two seats and the Left Front drawing a blank.

Telangana Chief Minister who has been meeting Opposition leaders to form Non NDA government in the centre also shown suspicion over EVM manipulation.

“We reiterate our demand to the ECI to count VVPATs in at least 50% of polling stations. VVPATs should be counted in 5 polling stations in each Assembly Constituency at the beginning of counting process. In case of discrepancy, all VVPATs of Assembly Constituency shall be counted,” N Chandrababu Naidu tweeted.

It is important to note that the Supreme Court had rejected a review petition of 21 major opposition parties which pleaded that the court direct the Election Commission to compulsorily tally VVPAT count with at least 50% EVMs during the May 23 counting of votes for the Lok Sabha polls.

The petition cited many instances of voters claiming that their votes went to a different party and not the one they had voted for. Among complainants was former Assam top cop who said that he did not complain for fear of prosecution if a test vote could not prove his complaint of a faulty EVM.

Social Activist Shabnam Hashmi in a conversation with The Morning Chronicle said that Exit Polls are far from ground realities. She also expressed possibility of rigging the EVMs at a large scale.

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