×
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Poll surveys trigger war of words

Last Updated 24 January 2014, 23:18 IST

The latest election surveys projecting a saffron surge have triggered varied reactions, with the BJP saying the trend was in the NDA’s favour to form the next government, possibly backed by its former regional allies. But, the Congress described it as nothing but a “political propaganda”."

 Two surveys indicated that the BJP was the front-runner. The current indications show that the party may surpass the highest figure of 183 it notched in the Lok Sabha elections on its own. On the contrary, the projections were dim for the Congress.

While one of the two surveys gave a significant number of about 228 seats to the non-Congress and non-BJP parties including the Left Front, SP, TMC, AIADMK, BSP and the BJD, BJP leader Arun Jaitley felt that the third front could not form the government since many regional parties were opposed to each other in their respective states but suggested the possibility of former NDA allies returning to boost the coalition.

“Who then forms the government? Is there any contender other than the BJP and the NDA? In terms of these indications, it should lead to a government of greater NDA which Atalji had formed. A number of parties who constituted the greater NDA are poised to do well. The greater NDA should in addition to the existing NDA parties comprise regional parties which occupy the non-Congress space in their states,” he said in a write-up.

Trashing the findings, Union Minister Manish Tewari sarcastically remarked that the parties who have chosen prime ministerial candidates would be in the Opposition, obliquely referring to the BJP.

ADVERTISEMENT
(Published 24 January 2014, 22:12 IST)

Follow us on

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT