INDIA bloc parties on Sunday billed the exit polls, which predicted another spectacular win for the BJP, a “psy-op” to demoralise the Opposition and worked overtime to keep the morale of workers high ahead of counting.

“2004 will be repeated in 2024,” claimed Congress media in-charge Jairam Ramesh, recalling how all the exit polls had called it wrong in 2004 for the BJP. “History will be repeated after 20 years,” said the Congressman who was in the thick of the change of guard at the Centre in 2004.

Calling it a “fantasy poll” created by the “Modi media”, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the rest of the party stuck to the 295 figure for the INDIA bloc in public and party meetings convened during the day to drive home the point to all state units and workers to be extra vigilant during the counting process.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul held a Zoom meeting with all candidates, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leaders and Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) presidents. A separate meeting was convened by Ramesh with PCC presidents and CLP leaders specifically on counting-related issues and the interaction was shared with the media in a show of confidence about the results.

Addressing the meeting, Ramesh sought to drive home the point that the exit polls were “bogus” and a “mindgame” unleashed by Prime Minister Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah to mount pressure on the Opposition, the Election Commission and counting agents and officials.

“They are trying to create an impression that they are returning to office…. They are trying to demoralise us but they will not succeed,” he said, adding that the stock-taking meeting of Kharge and Rahul with state units had also iterated the 295 figure for the INDIA bloc.

All the state-level office-bearers presented their assessments and also pointed out “mistakes” in some of the exit polls where the numbers either do not add up or some parties, including the Congress, were shown to be winning more seats than they were contesting.

The Congress, Aam Aadmi Party and the Samajwadi Party also saw in the exit polls an attempt by the BJP to play the financial markets, anticipating a boom on Monday. “Through this exit poll, the BJP wants to make big gains from the markets on Monday as it exits the government,” said SP chief Akhilesh Yadav. “Elections are decided by the counting of actual votes polled, not ‘mann ki baat’,” he said, taking a swipe at the Prime Minister’s monthly radio broadcast.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal opted for the “punch-holes-in-the-exit- polls” route to
dismiss them, listing a series of samples. A case in point that the RJD and INDIA handles shared on X was the Axis-My India poll on India Today showing six seats for
the Lok Janshakti Party in Bihar whereas this organisation is only contesting five seats in the state.

­“There is a theory that so many seats have been shown for the BJP in the exit polls because their friends have invested money in the stock markets. The markets will open on a high on Monday and all of them will withdraw their investments with big gains,” claimed Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in an address to AAP workers shortly before returning to jail.

Further, according to Kejriwal, the exit polls are aimed at ensuring that officials feel pressurised into helping the BJP during counting. Also, it is aimed at weighing upon the RSS to quell the rebellion within its rank and file against the BJP, he said, urging counting agents to remain vigilant till the end of the process.

The poll that got trolled the maximum by the INDIA bloc members was the one done by Axis My India though this agency has a track record of calling several elections right or closest. The Congress opened another line of attack with spokesman Pawan Khera asking the company to disclose that it polls for the BJP. “For the sake of transparency, should Pradeep Gupta of @AxisMyIndia not disclose that he also polls for BJP and reports to Amit Shah and Piyush Goyal?” Khera posted on X. There was no response from Axis till late in the evening to this question.