Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday dismissed exit polls as unreliable, calling them a “racket” and saying most have lost credibility.
“I have no faith in exit polls,” Ramesh said, when asked to comment on the exit poll results. “Exit polls are a racket,” he said.
The Congress leader questioned the methodology behind such surveys, saying polling has become a routine exercise with little transparency.
He added that it is unclear who conducts these polls or what sample sizes they rely on, citing the 2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election 2021 as an example where predictions went wrong.
Commenting on voter turnout, Ramesh noted that West Bengal and Tamil Nadu have traditionally recorded high polling percentages and said the current figures are only marginally higher. “I don't read much into this.”
He also targeted the Election Commission of India, alleging bias during the ongoing election process. “We were fighting against the Election Commission also, as the EC has not been a neutral party in this election. He has become a player in this election.”
Ramesh accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of lacking neutrality. “The Election Commission has never been a more compromised EC under (Chief Election Commissioner) Gyanesh Kumar,” he told reporters, alleging that the “rot” began during the tenure of Kumar’s predecessor.
“This man is not a neutral observer. There are nine charges against him in our notice given in Parliament for the removal of the CEC,” Ramesh said.
Asked about the next steps if the removal notice is rejected, he said, “We will keep going against him till he is removed. We will continue our efforts to get him removed.”
Ramesh further alleged that voters’ rights had been affected in West Bengal, claiming that lakhs of names were removed from electoral rolls.
(With inputs from PTI)