INDIA to win 295 seats, says Kharge after bloc’s meet
The INDIA bloc will secure at least 295 seats in the Lok Sabha polls, said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge after a meeting of the bloc at his resident on Saturday
The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) will secure at least 295 seats in the 18th Lok Sabha, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said on Saturday after a 2.5-hour-long meeting of coalition partners. The Opposition bloc’s projection, however, didn’t reflect in any of the exit polls aired by the TV channels.
“The BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) and its friends will discuss the exit polls. But there should not be any confusion among the people. They are trying to set a narrative. We will tell the truth. INDIA alliance leaders will get at least 295 seats. It might be more than 295, but certainly not less,” Kharge said. “After talking among ourselves, we arrived at this number. This is based on the people’s survey, not our survey. This is based on what people have told us and the information they sent to our leaders.”
Most of the pollsters have predicted a comfortable win for the BJP-led NDA with at least seven polls have predicted more than 350 seats for the ruling NDA. The BJP-led NDA is likely to open its account in Tamil Nadu and Kerala but may see a fall in its tally in states like Bihar, Rajasthan and Haryana, according to the pollsters.
The meeting, held at Kharge’s residence in New Delhi, discussed tasks for polling agents of the grouping on counting day on June 4. During the discussion, the leaders overturned the Congress’s decision to boycott the TV debates on the exit polls. Former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren’s wife was the first to argue that the INDIA bloc should not allow the BJP freehand in the exit polls.
The alliance also decided to meet the Election Commission of India one last time before the counting starts to urge the poll overseer to address their concerns that included counting should start with postal ballots and only EVMs used for polling should be kept in the counting halls.
“We have sought time from the Election Commission on Sunday. We will tell them (that) in some places ballot papers were counted later on some earlier occasions. There could be mistake in that this time too. There could be mistakes in other things too. That is why the leaders of our alliance will go to the Election Commission and put forth whatever complaints we have before them and after making corrections to them,” Kharge said. “After making modifications, whatever order is to be issued and sent to each district magistrate or returning officer… do this work as soon as possible.”
Former Congress presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were present in the meeting. Others included K C Venugopal and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra of the Congress, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and his party leader Ram Gopal Yadav, Sharad Pawar and Jitendra Awhad from the NCP-SP, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, Sanjay Singh and Raghav Chadha of AAP, DMK’s T. R Baalu, RJD leaders Tejashwi Yadav and Sanjay Yadav. Jharkhand chief minister Champai Soren and Kalpana Soren from JMM, Farooq Abdullah of J&KNC, CPI leader D Raja, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, Anil Desai of Shiv Sena (UBT), Dipankar Bhattacharya of CPI(ML) and Mukesh Sahani of VIP party.
In the meeting, Rahul Gandhi mentioned the exit polls are due. “To which, another leader said that the Congress has decided to not participate in it. Kalpana argued that BJP should not be given a freehand and Left leaders also added that the Opposition should not allow the BJP to build a narrative in the exit polls. Rahul promptly agreed to the suggestions and it was decided that senior Opposition leaders will take part in exit poll debates,” said a leader present in the meeting.
After this, all leaders were asked about their party’s expected tally in this election. Akhilesh Yadav said the INDIA bloc will win 60 seats in Uttar Pradesh, but most other leaders toned down their expectations to 20 seats in the most populous state. Tejashwi Yadav maintained the opposition’s grand alliance in Bihar will win 20 seats and Sharad Pawar said The Congress-Shiv Sena (UBT) and his NCP’s MVA bloc will get 24 seats in Maharashtra. DMK leader TR Balu pegged the INDIA’s tally at 40 of 40 in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
The preparations for the counting day was the key agenda of the meeting. The alliance leaders spoke about the important of Form 17C and that counting agents must stay throughout the counting process and not leave without the constituency-wise certificate of votes counted and the result. The certificate will have all details such as ballot units, control unit, candidate wise votes with the sign of counting agents.
“There is another instruction of all parties and every cadre would be informed about how to sit through the counting process, to take the C form and till all formalities are completed, he should not come out of the counting hall,” Kharge said. “We have made so much effort together and as we stand united, we are able to give this figure (295) before you.”
Form 17C is divided into two parts. Part I records how many people cast votes at the polling booth and is filled by the presiding officer of every polling station at the end of polling. This form is given to every polling agent of the political parties. It includes the number of eligible voters assigned to the booth, the number of voters entered in the register of voters, the number of voters who decided not to vote, and the number of voters not allowed to vote. It requires the presiding officer to specify the number of votes recorded as per the voting machine. Part I of Form 17C is scrutinised by the returning officer along with annexures to Form 17A to assess whether re- polling is required in a booth.
Part II, on the other hand, is filled at the time of counting with details of number of votes recorded for each candidate.
Kharge also downplayed the absence of Trinamool Congress from the meeting. “We are united. Why are you trying to divide us? So many people are here,” he said.