Bihar polls: Tejashwi rejects exit polls, says Grand Alliance will take oath on Nov 18

Patna, Nov 12 (IANS) Grand Alliance chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav said on Wednesday that the Mahagathbandhan will form the government in Bihar after the November 14 results, and dismissed exit poll projections that favour the NDA.

Addressing a press conference at his official residence-cum-office in Patna, Tejashwi said turnout in this election rose sharply compared with 2020, with more than 72 lakh additional voters exercising their franchise.

“This is a massive number of voters. The polling percentage is almost 10 percentage points higher than the last election, about 72 lakh more voters. That means roughly 29,000 extra votes at every polling booth, and these votes were cast to change the government,” he said.

Tejashwi said ground feedback indicates even better performance than 1995, and predicted a decisive victory for the Grand Alliance.

“The change will happen in Bihar -- people have voted for change. The BJP leaders are uneasy because they know they are facing a big defeat. The Grand Alliance is sweeping this election, and we will take the oath on November 18,” he said.

Rejecting exit polls released on Tuesday, Tejashwi questioned their methodology and accused several news channels of bias.

“What is the relevance of these exit polls? What was their sample size? I believe they were instructed by Amit Shah to favour the NDA. Many channels previously gave the NDA over 400 seats in the Lok Sabha and predicted results in West Bengal and Jharkhand that did not materialise,” he said, adding that such polls create pressure on officials.

He warned his team would remain vigilant from strong rooms to counting centres.

“Your tricks will not work in Bihar, the land of democracy. We are alert and will not allow vote rigging,” he said.

Tejashwi also criticised the deployment of central security forces, alleging that the Central government used flag marches to create pressure on officers in Bihar.

“They staged flag marches here -- actions they would not take in Delhi after the blast -- only to apply pressure on officers here,” he claimed.

--IANS

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