The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Exit polls not reliable: Ashok

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 05, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Exit polls not reliable: Ashok

By Our Correspondent

VIZIANAGARAM, MAY 4. The TDP Politburo member, P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju, has said the prevailing confusion over exit polls is the creation of the electronic media. "There is no consistency in their post-poll analysis as random/small sample surveys will not be closer to reality,'' he said and hastened to add that their surveys might be or might not be true. Speaking at the performance meeting of the party in the just-concluded elections here on Tuesday, Mr. Ashok said no doubt the exit polls by different TV channels which had of late increased from single digit to double digit had infused hope in the Congress. The situation was not different from the post-poll scenario in 1999, he recalled. He exuded confidence that the hard work done by the cadre and the close proximity the contestants maintained in the past would certainly favour the party.

But the Opposition began levelling "baseless allegations'' from the beginning when the revision of voters list started, he regretted. The Congress and the Left parties said one crore bogus voters were included in the list for the benefit of the TDP and at their instance, the list was pruned. As a result, several genuine voters could not exercise their franchise, he asserted.

In the Vizianagaram constituency alone, names of 5,000 to 6,000 genuine voters were missing from the revised list, he said.

Mr. Ashok felt that the present numbers game would end by May 11 and May 13 when the results would be out. Meanwhile, he said the party had decided to evaluate its performance in the polls through OMR sheets being supplied to each functionary. This mechanism was to strengthen the party after obtaining feedback from them, he said.

Mr. Ashok, before handing over the OMR sheets to partymen, asked those who did not work hard for the party in the elections to leave the venue immediately. But there was no response from any one.

The party observer, S. Paidayya, said the present meeting was only a routine exercise after every election. He said the party would get 180-190 seats and form the Government.

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