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While exit polls have predicted a good show for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), opposition parties have termed the predictions of a comfortable victory for the ruling alliance as baseless. However, neither side can be blamed as more often than not, exit polls have been proven inaccurate. Despite the inaccuracy, it is still hotly awaited as it provides a hint of what to expect on the counting day. As per the exit polls, the voters appear to have overwhelmingly supported the NDA, paving the way for Narendra Modi to take over the reins of the country for a third consecutive term. It will also be historic if the BJP-led NDA crosses the 400-mark as predicted by a couple of exit polls. Sensing the mood of the nation through exit polls, BJP’s national spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad has stated that there may be some inaccuracy regarding the number of seats to be won by BJP, but there is limited uncertainty over the party’s return to power for the third time. On the other hand, the opposition parties have claimed that the exit polls are nothing but a ploy by the NDA to unnerve the opposition parties before the counting day. Going a step further, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has termed it as Modi-media poll and urged party functionaries not to leave the counting centres till the last vote is counted.
Amidst all these claims and counter-claims, it appears like the NDA will win the electoral race this time too. The party had started wooing the voters quite early with PM Modi leading the charge. On its part, the opposition parties were in disarray before they finally managed to stitch an alliance at the eleventh hour. While NDA’s poll campaign was in full swing, the opposition parties were still busy finalising candidates and seat-sharing, putting NDA in an advantageous position. The opposition was enthusiastic only after finding the voting percentage abysmally low in BJP’s stronghold during the first two phases of the general elections. Hoping for a change in fortune, the opposition parties finally launched a desperate move to stop the ruling dispensation’s juggernaut. But perhaps it was too late for the opposition to challenge the NDA’s position in the electoral battle. The exit polls results could be seen as an outcome of this but at the same time, it is not the final result. It only provides an indication about which way the wind is blowing. The task of winning the battle is not at all easy considering the divergent nature of the country, where the wind may blow differently in different regions for different reasons.