Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera on Saturday said that Congress will participate in the exit poll debates starting on June 1 as final phase of voting ends. The latest development comes a day after he announced that the grand old party will not take part in any exit poll debate saying that Congress "do not see any reason to engage in speculation and TRP-driven slugfests."
The decision came after deliberations in the I.N.D.I.A bloc meeting which saw participation from the top brass of the constituent parties, including, Sharad Pawar, Akhilesh Yadav, Tejaswi Yadav, Sitaram Yechury, Arvind Kejriwal, Bhagwat Mann, Sanjay Singh and Raghav Chadha, Champai Soren, among others.
Taking to X, Congress spokesperson said, "INDIA parties met and decided to expose the bjp and its ecosystem on the prefixed exit polls. After considering factors for and against participating in the exit polls, it has been decided by consensus that all the INDIA parties will participate in the exit poll debates on television this evening."
What Khera said before?
Earlier on May 31, Pawan Khera had said that voters had cast their vote and there was no reason to engage in speculations. He said, "Voters have cast their votes, and their verdicts are secured. The results will be out on June 4. Before that, we do not see any reason to engage in speculation and TRP-driven slugfests. The purpose of any debate should be to inform the people. We will happily partake in debates from June 4 onwards."
BJP criticises Congress for boycott
The Congress party's decision to boycott exit poll debates was criticised by the Bharatiya Janata Party, with its President JP Nadda took charge. He came down heavily on the Congress party and accused Congress of hypocrisy and attempting to undermine institutional processes. In a statement, he said,"Is Congress suggesting a vast conspiracy involving millions of voters, aimed at ridiculing the party in the days before the actual results are announced on June 4? It doesn’t behoove India’s grand old party to behave like a child whose toy has been taken away. One expects a certain level of maturity from the largest political party in the Opposition."
Apart from Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had also slammed Congress and said "Congress has realized its impending defeat, so it avoids facing the media and the public. I urge the Congress party not to run away but to face the defeat and introspect."
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