Congress meets alliance partners in Assam, rejects exit polls saying, "attempt to create atmosphere"

Guwahati (Assam) [India], May 2 : Congress senior observers for the Assam Assembly elections, DK Shivakumar, Bhupesh Baghel and Jitendra Singh on Saturday interacted with the alliance partners ahead of the results on May 4.

Congress has stitched an alliance with five other partiesRaijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), CPI(M), APHLC, and CPI(ML)for the assembly elections.

Addressing a press conference after the meeting, Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi said that the discussions have formed a consensus that the alliance will comfortably form a government in Assam.

Gogoi rejected the exit polls that have projected a comfortable majority for the BJP, stating that it is an attempt by the ruling party "to create an atmosphere" to help them.

"Discussion was held, and the representatives have said that the people of Assam, farmers, youths, and women cast their votes to make a new government in Assam. The results will come out on May 4. We will have to keep an eye on the strong rooms. We all have to prepare for the counting day. We are all united. BJP has tried to create an atmosphere in Assam through exit polls, but we are not falling into this trap," he said.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who has been assigned the duty of election observer, also rejected the exit polls, claiming that the people have refrained from speaking out of fear of the ruling party.

"Our team in Assam is strong, united and confident. We have fought the election very well. Whatever the media has reported on the exit poll. I personally don't believe in it. There is a big fear among the voters in Assam. Even the freebies have not been given to those who don't identify with the BJP. When such is the position, then who'll come out to say who has voted for whom?"

Shivakumar remained confident in the party's victory and even claimed that some of the BJP leaders have approached Congress due to their impending defeat.

"We are confident in our own internal survey. In the meantime, from the BJP side, we have gathered a lot of information. We have met BJP candidates, including MLAs and Ministers. They have lost the confidence that they are winning the elections. Some of them are trying to approach our leaders, candidates and associates," he said.

Exit polls projected that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is poised to retain power for a third successive term. Axis My India projected that the BJP-led NDA would secure 88 to 100 of 126 seats and the Congress-led alliance 24 to 36 seats.

JVC predicted 88-101 seats for the NDA and 23-33 seats for the Congress-led alliance. It gave 0-2 seats to AIUDF and three to others. Matrize projected 85-95 seats for the BJP-led alliance, 25-32 for the Congress-led alliance, and 6-12 seats for others.

Counting of votes for the Assam elections will be held on May 4. This time around, Congress stitched a six-party alliance, which included the Raijor Dal, to take on the ruling BJP-led NDA in Assam.

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