The exit polls are out and Modi supporters are on cloud nine, as most of the polls predicted majority for the BJP-led NDA in the Lok Sabha elections, albeit with varying numbers.
Shock, disappointment, happiness – Twitter was flooded with opinions.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee tweeted that she doesn’t believe “Exit Poll gossip.”
“The game plan is to manipulate or replace thousands of EVMs through this gossip. I appeal to all Opposition parties to be united, strong and bold. We will fight this battle together,” she tweeted.
The Bengal BJP was quick to hit back, asking Banerjee to “stop living in denial” as the days of her TMC government in West Bengal are numbered.
Telugu Desam Party Chief N Chandrababu Naidu said that time and again exit polls have failed and been far from ground reality.
In another tweet, he said, "We reiterate our demand to the ECI to count VVPATs in at least 50% of polling stations.
Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah seemed to have accepted the exit polls. “Every single exit poll can’t be wrong! Time to switch off the TV, log out of social media & wait to see if the world is still spinning on its axis on the 23rd,” he wrote on Twitter.
Actor/politician Prakash Raj said citizens will prove the exit polls wrong on 23 May.
‘I Believe Exit Polls Are All Wrong’
BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao said, people have rewarded Modi's good governance. “The exit polls clearly show a huge positive vote for the leadership of Narendra Modi who has served the country with unmatched dedication.”
Meanwhile, Congress spokesperson Sanjay Jha said “silent voters will be king on 23 May,” adding that the “fear factor” is playing havoc with pollsters.
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor claimed that exit polls are all wrong and cited the Australian polls, where various surveys proved wrong, to make his point.
CPI’s D Raja played down the forecasts, saying they are merely trends. “These are exit polls. These are merely trends. We will have to wait and see the real results. We have seen in the past that these results are merely surveys and have sometimes proved right and sometimes wrong. We have to see the real results,” he said, according to PTI.
Several Questioned the Veracity of Exit Polls
Some Twitter users questioned the authenticity of the exit polls. “I used to think Exit Polls were exactly the things one wouldn’t fabricate the data. Because what’s the point - you’re not influencing voters and you’ll be found out in 3 days. Then I realized, it serves the purpose of creating an anchoring effect for future alliance partners,” one Twitter user said.
A few others echoed the thought.
Another Twitter user asked, “Who would interrogate if the exit poll agencies were also bought and results manipulated to cushion the effects of an eventual poll fraud?”
Journalist Arfa Khanum Sherwani asked everyone to wait till 23 May. “If channels had their way the BJP will be the perpetual winner,”she tweeted.
‘Impact Of Propaganda’
YouTuber Dhruv Rathee said he won’t be surprised if exit polls are correct. “Having 90% media in your control, Bollywood films, TV serials, social media ads all projecting you as a messiah and EC giving you a free hand to play dirty = Massive influence,” he tweeted.
‘Exit’ in exit polls is a message for Muslims, said one Twitter user.
‘Voters Know Best’
Many Twitter users said the Exit Polls shows how people vote differently in general elections and state elections. There were also opinions that no matter what happens on 23 May, “fight for a progressive liberal India will have to be fought with greater urgency and effort.”
Exit Polls, Election Outcome to Set Tone for Markets
Equity markets will track election trends this week as the exit polls showed that the ruling NDA is likely to come back to power.
Market experts opined that markets have partly discounted exit poll outcome in the last few days.
Market regulator SEBI and stock exchanges have beefed up their surveillance mechanism to check any manipulative activities in the market this week in view of the high-octane election related events lined up.
“Most exit polls have predicted NDA to win the Lok Sabha elections with a good margin. This was partly discounted in the markets over the last few days. The street would like it even more if the BJP on its own gets a majority in the Lok Sabha.”Deepak Jasani, Retail Research
Investors should also brace for bouts of volatility in view of the high-octane election related events, the analysts said.
Experts are of the opinion that bourses may be indecisive till the final election outcome is known.
"This week there is an event that is able to produce long-term trends in the market and is the factor that sets the tone for wealth creation. The political events like election results usually produce trends that last for years. Hence, it becomes very important for the economy and investors," Epic Research CEO Mustafa Nadeem said.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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