By Sushil Kutty
A third term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, or a first term for Rahul Gandhi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s choice for Prime Minister of an INDI-Alliance government in case the June 4 result upsets the one predicted by the exit polls and throws up an “expect the unexpected” outcome. The INDI-Alliance says the exit polls were “rigged” and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called them “Modi Media Poll”, adding that the INDI-Alliance will tally ‘295’, more than enough seats to unseat Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
By the way, the “rigged exit polls” have predicted victories for Rahul Gandhi from both Wayanad in the south and Raebareli in the north. The rub is, the exit polls have also predicted a third term for Narendra Modi. The BJP celebrations and the Rashtrapati Bhavan getting decked up for the swearing-in ceremony was almost immediate. On Sunday the Prime Minister laid bare his plans for the new government’s first 100 days.
But there’s skepticism. And a sense of foreboding. The INDI-Alliance has convinced itself there was mischief afoot behind the exit polls. A clear message has gone out that if the counting process is not carried out in the set process on June 4, there would be pushback. The ball is in the Election Commission’s court. The ECI was to hold a press meet later in the day on June 3.
The Election Commission is under pressure to be free and fair. All eyes were on the poll panel’s conduct. Even after all that, the ECI stood discredited for suggesting that paper ballots would be counted last. Both Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge were emphatic that the exit polls were bent to favour the Prime Minister’s party, BJP. Kharge said the INDIA bloc will get a tally of “295 seats”.
On Sunday Rahul Gandhi, Kharge and KC Venugopal spoke with Congress Lok Sabha candidates, PCC presidents and CLP leaders via video conferencing. “There was no time to lose”, the party wanted to present a confident front in the air of confusion covering the election results. Where would all these lead to, wasn’t easy to surmise or jump to judgement. Would the Congress/INDI Alliance accept the June 4 results if the NDA wins?
What are the Opposition’s plans if Modi crowns himself to another term? What are the options apart from lodging a protest with the President? Some INDI-Alliance leaders speak of taking to the streets and if violence results that, too, is par for course. “Every citizen has a right to protest against wrongdoings” is the defence. There is a strong social media outcry building up against any move to install Narendra Modi as prime minister again.
But the BJP/NDA says Prime Minister Narendra Modi cannot lose. INDIA bloc says it is a manufactured perception, planned months ago and politically sinister. There is “manipulation”; if so, how INDI-Alliance comes up trumps would be beyond comprehension. How will the Congress overcome the “manipulation”, correct it to reverse the exit polls’ prediction?
Rahul Gandhi calling the exit polls “Modi media poll” and “this is Modiji’s poll, it is a fantasy poll” isn’t going to help undo the alleged manipulation. The wisecrack “Have you heard of Sidhu Moosewala’s song ‘295’? We are winning 295” got some laughs, but laughs wouldn’t bring home Lok Sabha seats; at the end of the day, making a song and dance never worked. Rahul Gandhi is a “perceptive young man” also hasn’t caught on.
The exit polls haven’t been kind to the Trinamool Congress. Mamata Banerjee called them “vague, fake, and the handiwork of BJP stooges”. All opposition parties spoke of a “biased agency” tied to the BJP behind the exit polls. Akhilesh Yadav pointed a finger at “pro-BJP media” and linked it to fraudulent practices and the share market.
Down south, both the DMK and the AIADMK wouldn’t believe the exit polls could even think of the BJP making inroads into Tamil Nadu, forget Kerala. But K. Annamalai was winning Coimbatore, the exit polls said. Malayalis were skeptical and so was Telangana. The exit polls’ predictions for Karnataka were similarly trashed. And what will come out on June 4 will also be trashed unless the “exact results” give INDI-Alliance “Moosewala’s 295”. On the other hand, if Modi’s “abki baar 400 paar” comes to pass, there will be more than just din to pay.
How and what happens on June 4 will be known by the afternoon of June 4. And it will not be INDI-Alliance on top. If the INDI-Alliance says the whole exit polls thing was planned months ahead, the outcome would also have been decided beforehand. The plan wouldn’t have left the outcome hanging. What happens thereafter; what happens after the INDI-Alliance refuses to accept the verdict ‘declaring a Modi victory’ will decide the India of 2024 and beyond. (IPA Service)