Salem: Dismissing the exit polls that predicted a drastic decline in AIADMK’s electoral fortunes as “inaccurate” Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palanisami has said, “these are not karuthu kanipu (opinion polls) but karuthu thinipu (opinions forced).”
Exit polls by media houses have been inaccurate in the past and this time too the AIADMK’s win would prove them wrong, he said.
“In 2016 they had said that in Salem, AIADMK had chances of winning only 3 Assembly constituencies. They also said that I would be defeated. But, the results saw me winning with the highest margin of 42,000 votes (from Edappadi constituency). Not only that, we won all 10 Assembly seats in Salem not 3 as predicted by exit polls,” M. Palaniswami said on Monday. Speaking to reporters at the airport here he said people will come to know if the exit polls are right or wrong on May 23, when the results are announced.
“We will win all the 38 Lok Sabha constituencies and also the 22 Assembly constituencies,” the CM stressed and pointed out that exit polls are not ‘karuthu kanipu’ (opinion polls) but ‘karuthu thinipu’ (opinions forced). They would be proved wrong this time too.
Exit polls by media channels along with agencies on Sunday evening following the conclusion of the last phase of Lok Sabha elections, predicted that the AIADMK would win less than 10 seats in Tamil Nadu. The exit polls predicted a huge gain for the opposition DMK-combine.
On the exit polls indicating a good show by ally BJP at the national level, Mr. Palaniswami said he was referring only to Tamil Nadu as the “AIADMK is not a national party, but a regional one.”
Besides all the 38 seats in Tamil Nadu, the combine would win the lone Puducherry seat. Election to the Vellore Lok Sabha constituency was rescinded on account of rampant distribution of cash for votes.
To another question, he replied, the AIADMK’s participation in the Union Cabinet can be considered only after the election results are announced. The true picture will be known on May 23, the CM said and accused the DMK of being a turncoat.
