A day before the announcement of LokSabha Election results, Congress president Rahul Gandhi urged his party men to be "alert in the next 24 hours" and be fearless. In a tweet similar to his sister Priyanka Gandhi's audio message which was posted on when exit polls predicted a defeat for the party, he also called the exit polls fake.
He tweeted in Hindi:
"The next 24 hours are important. Be alert and vigilant. Don't be afraid. You are fighting for the truth. Don't be disheartened by what the fake exit polls are propagating. Have faith in yourselves and Congress. Your hard work will not be in vain, Jai Hindi."
The Exit polls which were released on the last day of the elections, May 19th, predicted a 300-plus victory for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance and 122 for the Congress and its allies. The "Non-aligned" parties were given 114.
The same night, Priyanka Gandhi said in a message to party workers that they shouldn’t fall for "rumours" intended to make them drop their guard ahead of the counting of votes.
In an audio message, she said, "My dear Congress workers, sisters and brothers... Don't let rumours and exit polls discourage you. This is being done just to break your determination. It is very important that you remain alert amid all this. Please continue to keep vigil outside strongrooms and counting centres. We are confident that our combined efforts will bear fruit."
Congress and other opposition parties have alleged that attempts to "steal the mandate" by manipulating EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines). Since yesterday, members of the Congress, Samajwadi Party, BSP and others have kept a close watch on strongrooms where the vote machines are being stored ahead of Thursday's count.