New Delhi: Strongly objecting to exit polls, Congress today (April 21, 2004) said the different results shown by various television channels spoke of their "credibility" and should not have been allowed.

"We have strong objections to the declaration of exit polls in a multi-phase contest...They should not have been allowed keeping the Representation of People's Act. In view of our objections we do not accept the correctness of these polls," party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said.

Elections 2004-The Drama unfolds...
Political Parties in India

He said the party has already made its views known to the Election Commission asking it to decide most urgently.

"Meanwhile all our legal options are also open," he said.

Another party spokesman Anand Sharma, claiming "sizeable" gains for the party, said different channels were giving different results for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress and its allies which meant that "they themselves are not accurate about the results. There lies the credibility of these polls".

At the daily briefing, when asked to comment that BJP was claiming at least 100 Lok Sabha seats of the 140 which went to polls in the first phase, Singhvi said "BJP is living in multiple world of dreams".

"BJP and its leadership are so nervous and worried, they are interpreting Prime Minister's contradictory statements," he said and claimed that Congress' performance would not only be good but "extremely good".