After exit polls, TMC keeps busy with post poll calculations

Kolkata, May 20: Miffed with exit poll predictions, the Trinamool Congress is busy with post-poll calculations based on reports received from the districts, a senior party leader said Monday.

Dismissing the exit poll predictions, he said, "We do not have to worry about these exit poll reports, which in most cases do not match.

"We have our internal party report. We also have reports from districts and each and every constituency."

The TMC leadership is also in talks with various opposition parties in the country, party sources said.

"Most of these exit polls are baseless and biased towards the BJP. We are not bothered about the exit polls.

Talks are on with all the opposition parties on the post-poll scenario.

"It is for sure that the BJP has lost the election.

The TMC will play an important role," said another senior TMC leader, who did not wish to be named.

TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, who has been meeting leaders of regional and opposition parties over the last few days, will meet TMC supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the state secretariat on Monday.

In West Bengal, some of the exit polls suggested the TMC getting 24 seats, the BJP bagging 16, the Congress two and the Left Front drawing a blank.

Two exit polls telecast by Times Now gave the NDA 296 and 306 seats, while they projected 126 and 132 for the Congress-led UPA.

Dubbing exit polls as "gossip", Banerjee had said on Sunday that she did not trust such surveys as the "game plan" was to use them for "manipulation" of EVMs.

The West Bengal unit of the BJP was quick to hit back, asking Banerjee to "stop living in denial" as the days of her TMC government in West Bengal were "numbered".

The BJP West Bengal unit in a tweet also asked Banerjee to stop giving lame excuses.

Although senior TMC leaders sounded confident of winning the polls, some district leaders feel there had been an undercurrent against the TMC, which the top leadership of the party had "failed" to gauge.

We dont know whether these exit poll results will match with the actual results. But we can say this much that there has been an undercurrent against us this time. Now everything will be answered only on May 23, a TMC leader of West Midnapore district said.