The month-long voting for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections concluded on Sunday and almost all the exit polls predicted a thumping victory for the BJP government which is expected to come back for its second term with huge margins. While these results have set in a celebratory mood across the country the usual suspects cannot hide their frustration and despondency.
After ‘Liberals’ and ‘neutral journalists’ had a meltdown on Twitter, the opposition parties have also started coming up with their customary excuses to tuck away their failure. Aam Aadmi Party’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, after all the exit polls, predicted gloomy numbers in AAP’s favour, started raising questions over the elections and has said that elections should be cancelled if there’s any mismatch between VVPAT and EVM vote count.
Most of the exit polls have either predicted a single seat or no seats for the ruling AAP in Delhi while predicting a clean sweep for the BJP in the national capital. Considering this, the AAP’s frustration is only understandable.
AAP’s Sanjay Singh in his tweet said, “Is EVM the real game? Were these exit polls conducted after taking money? How is this possible that in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Delhi, and West Bengal, everywhere, BJP is predicted to win? Every Opposition party should demand cancellation of Lok Sabha Election if there’s any mismatch in VVPAT and EVM vote count.”
क्या असली खेल EVM है? क्या पैसे देकर EXIT POLL कराया गया? यू पी, बिहार, मध्य प्रदेश, राजस्थान, छत्तीसगढ़, गुजरात, महाराष्ट्र, कर्नाटक, दिल्ली, बंगाल हर जगह BJP ही जीत रही है ये कौन यक़ीन करेगा? सभी दल EC से मिलकर VVPAT-EVM के मिलान में गड़बड़ी पर Election रद्द करने की माँग करें। https://t.co/Cpe0skWVGR
— Sanjay Singh AAP (@SanjayAzadSln) May 19, 2019
The AAP leader was responding to West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee’s Tweet, who also for obvious reasons, did not appear pleased after the exit polls predictions.
In West Bengal, some of the exit polls suggested the TMC would get 24 seats, while the BJP would be bagging 16, the Congress two seats and the Left Front drawing a blank.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee seemed visibly irate at the exit poll numbers. She summarily rejected the “poll gossip”, making an outrageous claim that it is a “game plan” to manipulate or replace thousands of EVMs.
“I don’t trust 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,” Banerjee said in a tweet.
I don’t trust 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
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) May 19, 2019
Amusingly, the Congress President, Rahul Gandhi, almost conceding defeat, had started whining about the EVMs even before the exit poll results were out. The Congress President posted a tweet, blaming the Election Commission for the impending defeat of the Congress party.
From Electoral Bonds & EVMs to manipulating the election schedule, NaMo TV, “Modi’s Army” & now the drama in Kedarnath; the Election Commission’s capitulation before Mr Modi & his gang is obvious to all Indians.
The EC used to be feared & respected. Not anymore.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 19, 2019
History seems to be repeating itself. In 2014 too, Liberals had an epic meltdown after the exit polls then had predicted that the BJP will be sweeping the Lok Sabha 2014 polls and that Narendra Modi is well placed to become the country’s new Prime Minister.
