Jammu, June 03: Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) leaders on Monday met to discuss the party’s performance in the Lok Sabha polls and its preparation for the counting of votes scheduled to take place on Tuesday, June 04.
The meeting, presided over by JKPCC Chief Vikar Rasool Wani took stock of exit polls predicting a big win for the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA. The meeting attended by the party’s Working President Raman Bhalla, Senior Vice President and Chief Spokesperson Congress Ravinder Sharma and others, rejected the exit poll prediction, the party said in a statement issued here.
The JK Congress chief questioned the veracity of the exit polls which have predicted a comfortable victory for the BJP-led NDA and claimed that the agencies conducting them were only trying to create a conducive atmosphere in favour of the BJP. He invoked Mahatma Gandhi’s “do or die” call for the country’s future and said the youth are ready to sacrifice themselves.
“The BJP’s corrupt policies are not capable of protecting the nation. The youth are now ready to take part in a new freedom movement. That is why the public, remembering Mahatma Gandhi’s ‘do or die’ call, is now agitated and ready to fight a new freedom movement to save their own and the country’s future,” he said, adding that the INDIA bloc’s victory will be a victory for the country and its people.
Wani added, “Our exit poll says that the INDIA bloc is winning all five seats in J&K. I have got an internal survey done that also shows good numbers for us.” He urged the poll watchdog to make adequate security arrangements for agents of opposition parties. “When the BJP appears weak, it will try to threaten the agents as the administration is with the party,” he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Raman Bhalla said, “The exit poll agencies may claim to have carried out their own surveys, but we gained a firsthand sense of the popular sentiments during the elections. Our leader Rahul Gandhi and the coalition represented by him, promised jobs, fresh recruitment in railways and restoration of the earlier system of employment in the armed forces. On the other hand, all that was on offer from NDA were threats of theft of buffaloes, mangalsutras and water taps.”
Bhalla said there have been a high number of votes cast through postal ballots this time. “Such votes are often known to be in favour of a change. We expect that these will be counted properly, taking all parties into confidence. We also expect that photocopies of Form 17C will be made available to candidates and counting agents, and every round will be declared complete only after all parties have expressed their satisfaction,” he added.
The chief spokesperson said the party office bearers were asked to pay special attention if there is any suspicion over the counting of votes anywhere. “The poll panel should issue clear guidelines on the counting process and ensure that those are implemented,” he said.
