Bihar is close contest, do not trust exit polls: Digvijaya Singh

Bhopal, Nov 12 (PTI) Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Wednesday said the Bihar assembly elections were a close contest, and if the NDA won more than 140 out of the 243 seats, it would indicate manipulation of voter lists and EVMs.

He had visited Bihar during the elections, the Rajya Sabha member said.

"I don't trust exit polls....when I went to Bihar, I never felt that the election was one-sided. It was a close contest," Singh told reporters at his residence here.

There was also some discussion about to what extent Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party and Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) would cut into the votes of the two major alliances, he added.

"Some exit polls are predicting that the NDA will win 180 seats, while others are predicting 160. I believe that if the NDA wins more than 140 seats, it will be a result of voter list and EVM manipulation," the Congress veteran alleged.

Voting for the 243 seats of the Bihar Assembly concluded in two phases on Tuesday. The results will be declared on November 14.

The BJP criticised Singh for his comment about voter list and EVM manipulation, asking whether Congress leader Rahul Gandhi won the last Lok Sabha elections from Wayanad and Rae Bareli using the same methods.

Madhya Pradesh minister Vishwas Sarang said that Congress leaders knew that the exit polls were correct and the results will favour the NDA.

"Digvijaya Singh and Congress leaders are forgetting reality. They have no connection with the public, and the Congress's situation is worsening everywhere," he said.

Singh was making such statements out of "desperation," the BJP leader added. PTI MAS KRK