West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has dismissed the recent exit poll predictions favoring the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as fabricated and “paid for.” In a video message shared on Thursday, she alleged that various media houses broadcast these projections under immense pressure and financial influence from the country’s ruling party. According to the Chief Minister, the timing and nature of these polls were strategically designed to manipulate public perception before the official results are announced.
Banerjee claimed the strategy served a dual purpose: preventing a potential crash in the stock market indices and demoralizing Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers ahead of the counting on May 4. She asserted that she possessed specific information suggesting the projections were circulated to media outlets as early as Wednesday afternoon. The CM countered the exit polls by stating her belief that the TMC’s actual tally would reach or exceed 230 seats, rendering what she called “oppressive tactics” by the opposition futile.
Expressing her gratitude, the Chief Minister thanked party workers and the general public for participating in the electoral process despite the summer heat and alleged intimidation by security forces. She issued a stern directive to her counting agents to remain vigilant and guard the strong rooms where EVMs are stored. Banerjee emphasized that she would personally be monitoring the situation on the streets and urged her team to stay at the counting tables until the very end of the process to ensure a fair outcome.
