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Sushma, Sahib Singh reject exit poll drubbing

Delhi Chief Minister Sushma Swaraj and her predecessor Sahib Singh Verma today refused to accept the exit poll result which predicted the Bharatiya Janata Party's defeat in the Delhi assembly elections.

While Swaraj said she would comment on the outcome only after the completion of the counting of votes on Saturday, Sahib Singh maintained that his pre-poll assessment of a BJP victory was reinforced during his tour of 20 constituencies today.

Both were participating in an exit poll programme on Doordarshan.

The exit poll results gave a two-thirds majority to the Congress with a tally of 48 seats in the 70-member assembly, followed by 18 seats for the BJP and three by others.

This was a virtual reversal of the outcome of the 1993 elections, when the BJP got 49 seats, the Congress 14 and others seven.

The exit poll also showed that 65 per cent of the voters made their choice on the basis of price rise, seven per cent on amenities and four per cent for other reasons.

Swaraj blamed the Congress for projecting the onion price rise as a general rise in the prices of all essential commodities.

UNI

Assembly Election '98

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