Lok Sabha Election 2024: ‘Fake and Manipulated’ Congress Leader Biswaranjan Mohanty on Exit Polls

Odisha Congress leader Biswaranjan Mohanty has dismissed exit poll predictions for the Lok Sabha elections as “fake and manipulated,” claiming they do not reflect actual EVM results. He accused the BJP of using “managed” exit poll results to demoralize Congress leaders, asserting that the true results, to be announced tomorrow, will reveal genuine public sentiment.

“These are fake and manipulated exit polls. It is not a result of the EVM, but the DM. There is anger among the public over poverty and inflation. Be it farmers, youth, everyone has hatred against the BJP and people have voted against them,” Mohanty said while speaking to ANI.

He added, “BJP is trying to show the ‘managed’ exit poll results to demotivate the leaders of the Congress party. The public is not trusting the exit polls and the real results will be out tomorrow.”

Drawing a parallel to 2004, he reminded that Congress emerged victorious despite similar misleading exit polls, predicting a similar outcome in the forthcoming results. “During Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government, in 2004, the same type of ‘manufactured’ exit poll came and what happened then, was the Congress came to power,” he said.

Exit polls on Sunday predicted a landslide victory for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the Lok Sabha polls. They also forecast a close contest in Odisha, with the two-decade rule of Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) facing a stiff challenge from the BJP.

According to Axis My India exit poll, BJD and BJP are expected to win 62-80 seats in the 147-member legislative assembly in Odisha, while Congress is predicted to win 5 to 8 seats. The BJP is projected to win 18-20 seats in Odisha in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, with the BJD possibly winning 0-2 seats, and Congress likely getting 0-1 seat.