Don't think exit polls are accurate: Punjab CM

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday rejected the various exit polls, saying their accuracy was suspect and that he expected the Congress to do much better, both at the national level and in the state.

Most opinion polls are giving clear or near-clear majority to BJP-led NDA at the Centre, while projecting 9-10 seats out of 13 for the Congress in Punjab.

He said after 50 years in politics, he saw no reason to believe the exit polls, which just could not predict the results with accuracy.

"With so much experience, even if I go around Punjab to gauge the voter swing, I would not be able to do it with complete accuracy. So how can these exit polls be accurate?" he asked.

Amarinder Singh said he was confident the Congress would do much better in these Lok Sabha elections. Even in Punjab, he said he expected the party to get more than nine or 10 seats the exit polls were predicting, he added.

The Chief Minister also thanked the voters of Punjab for ensuring smooth, peaceful, free and fair conduct of the elections, and added the voter turnout further indicated the people's commitment to upholding the democratic ethos of the country, which the BJP-led NDA was trying to destroy.

Nearly 59 per cent voting was recorded for Punjab's 13 Lok Sabha seats in the final phase of the general election.
IANS