'It's a matter of sour grapes': Axis My India's Pradeep Gupta after Rahul Gandhi terms exit poll as 'Modi poll'

In the wake of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's remarks about the exit polls predicting a landslide victory for the BJP-led NDA alliance, Pradeep Gupta, Chairman and Managing Director of Axis My India, has responded with sharp criticism. Gandhi had dismissed the exit polls predictions as "Modi Media Poll" and "Fantasy Poll," suggesting they were biased and unreliable.

While defending the credibility of the polls conducted by Axis My India, Gandhi pointed out the consistency and accuracy of their past predictions. "It is a matter of sour grapes," Gupta remarked. "It's his right; he can term it in any way he likes. He knows himself that India Today Axis My India had also predicted victories in Karnataka, Himachal, and Telangana, and he was quite pleased then."

On Sunday, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi dismissed the exit polls predicting a landslide victory for the BJP-NDA. He referenced the late Punjabi singer and rapper Sidhu Moosewala's song '295' while doing so.

"Sidhu Moosewala ka song suna hai aapne? (Have you heard the song by Sidhu Moosewala?). 295," he told reporters who were asking him about how many seats INDIA alliance would secure.

Gandhi called the exit poll forecasts "Modi media poll." He told reporters, "This is not an exit poll. This is a Modi media poll."

Almost all exit polls predict a huge majority for the NDA, estimating they will win between 350 and 415 seats. Axis My India forecasts 361-401 seats for the NDA, which is more than what they achieved in 2019.

Axis My India predicts the BJP will win 26-31 seats in Bengal, 11-12 in Telangana, and 18-20 in Odisha.

The BJP is expected to retain nearly the same number of seats in Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra. In Maharashtra, the BJP won 23 seats in 2019, but this time it is projected to get 20-22 seats. However, the NDA's total in Maharashtra may drop from 41 in 2019 to 28-32, losing about ten seats.