Mixed response to exit poll projections

SHILLONG: The state political parties have aired varied views regarding the exit poll giving a clear mandate to BJP-led NDA.
While NPP is optimistic about NDA staging a comeback, UDP, a constituent of the ruling coalition in the state, is not overly enthusiastic about the exit poll and the Opposition Congress completely rejecting it.
The national president of NPP and Chief Minister, Conrad Sangma, on Monday echoed the exit polls expressing optimism that the NDA would get a second term at the Centre.
The NPP is a constituent of the NDA.
The party’s state president, WR Kharlukhi, shared his views, while Bindo M Lanong, leader of United Democratic Party (UDP) was not willing to give the BJP more than 200 seats.
Both the chief minister and Kharlukhi are confident that the MDA would win both the seats in the state while Lanong felt anything could happen.
The Congress state president, Celestine Lyngdoh, said that the party is expecting to win both the seats even as he added that it does not believe in the exit polls.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a programme, Sangma said, “Exit polls are exit polls. But exit polls do give a direction in which the results could go and the average also shows that the NDA is most likely to come back.”
According to him, under the NDA government, the country has seen development and the people’s mandate will endorse that.
“These are all numbers, we all have to wait for May 23 to see the actual results,” he said.
Asked about the NPP’s performance in the state, Sangma exuded confidence that the MDA will bag both the Tura and Shillong seats.
The NPP has fielded Sangma’s sister, Agatha Sangma, for the Tura seat and is supporting UDP general secretary Jemino Mawthoh as the MDA’s consensus candidate for the Shillong seat.
Lanong admitted that the fight in both the seats is tough and irrespective of who wins the margin will be small.
“Anything can happen in a situation like this,” Lanong said while asserting that people have time and again raised questions on EVMs and VVPATs.
The state BJP, however, is mum on the likely performance of the party at the state level and its leaders refused to comment on its prospects.