BJP to prove poll surveys incorrect: Sushma

Lucknow, Apr 24: Claiming the BJP was poised to get a majority inthe Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, senior party leader Sushma Swarajtoday said recent poll surveys and exit polls had not been fair intheir assessment about the electoral performance of the party.

''I do not know why, but the pollsters have always been 'miser'while predicting the number of seats the BJP is likley to get in thepolls,'' she said in reply to a question with regard to the surveyswhich have put the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ahead of other parties inUP polls.

Ms Swaraj said the exit polls had been wrong in their predictionsin the recently-held Punjab and Uttarakhand assmebly polls and thistime also the results would be different from what have been predicted.

''There is a strong undercurrent in favour of BJP as the party hasexperienced during the last four phases of polling, and the BJPreaching the magic figure is a foregone conclusion,'' the spokespersonof parliamentary party told reporters here at the state BJPheadquarters.

A strong anti-incumbency wave coupled with the plesaant experienceof the fair governance of the BJP in the past would see her party romphome to majority, Ms Swaraj said.

In reply to a question, she discounted any possibility of BJPtaking or lending support to any party post-polls saying the pre-pollalliance of the party with Apna Dal and JD(U) would be able to form theKalyan Singh-led government in UP.

''I appeal to all the electorate not to repeat Bihar and give fullmajority to BJP to avoid a hung assembly which would lead to anotherassmebly polls in three months as was the case in Bihar,'' Ms Swarajsaid.

The senior BJP leader, who is one of the many star campaigners of theparty in UP polls, was of the view that the BJP was pitted against BSPand Mulayam Singh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party at most of the places withCongress offering no or very little fight. ''In fact, seldom have Ifound any Congress candidate being in the run for a seat in the ongoingpolls,'' she said.

Playing down the much-hyped roadshows of Congress MP Rahul Gandhiin the state, Ms Swaraj said he had harmed the interests of Congress inthe state by his statements. ''His controversial statements have posedmany problems for Congress, thus negating any positives of hiscampaigning in UP polls,'' she pointed out.

She said while the BJP had embarked upon the plank of developmentand law and order during its campaign, Rahul's campaign was centredaround Gandhi-Nehru family only. ''He must not forget that the peopleof this country have rejected this family at the hustings severaltimes,'' she said.

Ridiculing the campaign of UP chief minister and SP presidentMulayam Singh Yadav, the BJP leader said his frustration was tellingupon his statements which were defensive in nature. 'Never before Ihave seen a top leader asking for votes to prevent him going to jail ifdefeated,'' she said.

Issuing a note of warning to UP electorate about the changedpolitical posture of BSP, the former Delhi Chief Minister said theDalit party may have changed its slogans and given many tickets toupper caste candidates, but its ''mentality'' still remains the same.

''Even today, the election speeches of Ms Mayawati start with bashing of Manuvad and also ends with it,'' she said.

The state of UP has seen enough of corrupt, casteist and goondarule of non-BJP parties in the past and the time was just ripe torepose faith in the BJP to bail the state out of the anarchialsituation.

When asked about the low percentage of voting in the four phasesof elections so far, Ms Swaraj said as the past experience went the lowturn out at the polling booths had never adversly affected the pollprospects of BJP.

UNI

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