J&K CM Omar Abdullah dismissed West Bengal exit polls, saying they'll be proven wrong. He supported Mamata Banerjee's move to guard EVM strong rooms and alleged wrongdoing by the ECI, not through pre-poll rigging.
Omar Abdullah Dismisses Exit Poll Credibility
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday dismissed the credibility of exit polls, which have predicted a possibility of the BJP-led government in West Bengal, and highlighted instances in the past when they were proven wrong.
Speaking to media personnel here, Abdullah said the results of the elections most probably would deliver results opposite to what the exit polls have predicted. "Tell me, which exit poll has actually turned out to be correct so far? Even five years ago, during the elections in West Bengal, almost all exit polls predicted that the government would go to the Bharatiya Janata Party--but what was the result? So we don't need to wait much longer. On Monday, when we will be taking the salute at the Secretariat, the results will also be coming in. As far as I understand, these exit polls will once again prove to be wrong. In fact, one agency even refused to publish its exit poll, perhaps because the results did not suit them, so they chose to drop it altogether," he said.
Allegations of Wrongdoing by Election Commission
Furthermore, amidst the strong room controversy in West Bengal, the Jamu and Kashmir chief minister said that Mamata Banerjee has every right to station her people outside the strongroom for safeguarding the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM). The J-K CM further said that he doesn't believe in the idea of pre-poll rigging; however, he noted that at present, wrongdoing is happening through the Election Commission of India via SIR. "I have always said that when it comes to EVMs, I do not believe in pre-poll rigging. However, safeguarding the EVMs after polling is our responsibility. That is what we used to do even when there were ballot boxes--we would station our people outside the strong rooms. It was Mamata Banerjee's right to do the same, and she did so. But what is happening now through the SIR process is different. The issue is not theft through EVMs. Unfortunately, today, the wrongdoing is happening through the Election Commission of India via SIR," Abdullah added.
Mamata Banerjee Guards EVMs, Alleges Bias
Earlier on Thursday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited the Bhabanipur strong room in Kolkata and said that her party will prevent all attempts, if made, to tamper with electronic voting machines. The BJP had pitted Suvendu Adhikari against the TMC supremo in the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency.
Claiming that her party received reports of EVM tampering in many parts of the state, Mamata Banerjee said, "There is a strong room here for EVMs. We found that in many places, manipulation is taking place. When I saw the CCTV on TV, I thought I should also go and see it. Initially, the Central Forces wouldn't let me enter. But according to our election rules, the candidate and election agent of any party are allowed up to the sealed room."
Asserting that TMC is facing a biased stance from the Election Commission of India, Mamata Banerjee said, "Our agent has been arrested; there has been so much one-sidedness. Even after that, if someone tries to steal the EVM machine, if someone tries to steal the counting, then we will fight life and death together."
Also, the Chief Minister urged every citizen to maintain peace and harmony during this crucial time. "Victory is Certain," she said. "Bengal refuses to bow to the Bohiragotos of Delhi and Gujarat, who seek to subjugate a people whose soul they can never understand. Every act of wrongdoing against our people, every overreach, and every heavy-handed tactic by the BJP and their Central Forces will be answered. Once the results are in, every transgression will be paid for in full through the ruthless power of the democratic process," Trinamool Congress wrote on X.
Exit Poll Predictions and High Voter Turnout
Most exit polls have predicted a BJP ouster of the TMC in West Bengal, which has been in power for the last 15 years. Chanakya Strategies projected the BJP winning 150-160 seats in 294 West Bengal assembly and getting a majority of its own. It said that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) would win 30-40 seats and others six to 10 seats.
West Bengal has achieved its highest voter turnout since independence, reaching a historic 91.66 per cent during Phase II of the elections. However, the polling day also witnessed high political tensions between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the deployment of security forces in the State.
Historic Voter Turnout in West Bengal
According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), poll participation in West Bengal (Phase-II) stood at 91.66 per cent till 7:45 PM. In phase I of the elections on April 23, the poll participation was 93.19 per cent, resulting in a staggering combined poll percentage over the two phases at 92.47 per cent."The combined poll percentage over the two phases stands at 92.47%. Previously, the highest poll-participation in WB was 84.72% (2011 GELA), " a release from the ECI said.
The voter turnout was high across the board, with women voters leading at 92.28 per cent and male voters not far behind at 91.07 per cent. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)