The debate over exit polls in Tamil Nadu continued on Friday as political leaders across the state dismissed the findings of various pollsters. DMDK general secretary Premallatha Vijayakant asserted that the DMK front would secure a massive victory and that 'beloved brother' M K Stalin would continue as chief minister. However, she deflected questions regarding exit polls, stating that she preferred to wait for the actual results on counting day instead of responding to such predictions. She also chose not to respond to a question on DMDK's stand in the event of a hung assembly, simply saying, 'Let us all wait for exact results.'
PMK Dismisses Exit Polls as Fabricated
PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss also dismissed the exit polls, many of which favored the DMK, alleging that they were orchestrated by the party in power. 'We have worked closely with the people, and we know their pulse. Their anger against the government was evident on polling day,' he said in a statement on Friday. 'Do not be swayed by fabricated exit polls. Instead, focus entirely on the counting centres to thwart any attempts at malpractice by the DMK, which is desperate to retain power after five years of exploitation,' he appealed to the agents of his party and alliance partners.
AIADMK and TVK Reject Findings
The remarks come a day after AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami and TVK leaders rejected the exit poll findings that gave an edge to the DMK. Meanwhile, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram described exit polls as a 'cottage industry.' 'All these are speculations. Every party, alliance and candidate is confident of winning. We will see what happens on Monday,' he said, while appealing to the media to refrain from encouraging the practice of engaging pollsters and reporting their predictions.
The unified rejection of exit polls by major political parties underscores the tense political atmosphere in Tamil Nadu as counting day approaches. Leaders are urging the public and media to focus on the actual results rather than speculative surveys.
