GUWAHATI: Confident of a Congress comeback in Assam, Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly and Nazira candidate Debabrata Saikia claimed that the exit polls may be inaccurate as a lot of people are "keeping silent due to BJP goons."
"I don't trust exit polls. During the 2021 Bengal elections, they predicted a full majority for the BJP in Bengal, but it did not happen. Similarly, in many instances, whatever the exit polls said, they did not turn out to be that way," the Nazira assembly candidate told ANI.
He said that this time, people are keeping silent due to fear of "BJP goons", but the people actually want change and are not speaking up in the exit poll surveys due to fear.
"This time is different. People are very silent about who they have voted for. It is because they must have needed a change. That is why, in fear of retaliation by the goons of the BJP, they are keeping silent... I think the silent voters and other factors, misgovernance, will cost the government to the BJP," he said.
With the stage set for counting of votes for Assam Assembly elections on May 4, Congress ally and Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) chief Lirunjyoti Gogoi on Saturday rejected exit poll predictions for Assam, claiming that the "bogus" exit polls are just a way to put some "psychological pressure" on political parties and administrative officials.
Congress leads the "Mahajot" alliance with the Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parshad, CPI(M), and other left parties. Meanwhile, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by BJP consists of Bodoland People's Front (BPF), Asom Gana Parishad (AGP).
Exit polls have largely projected that the BJP-led NDA is poised to Assam and the Congress-led UDF Keralam with the most surveys also stating that the BJP is on its way to form its first government in West Bengal.
Counting of votes for Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Keralam, Assam and Puducherry will take place on May 4.
The exit poll results were released after the conclusion of the second phase of polling in West Bengal on Wednesday. Assam, Kerala and Puducherry went to the polls on April 9 and Tamil Nadu on April 23. West Bengal went to the polls in two phases on April 23 and April 29.