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Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said on Saturday that INDIA bloc will win 295+ seats in the Lok Sabha Elections 2024, the results of which will be announced on June 4. Kharge's estimate came about an hour before the exit polls results for general elections are expected to be released. 

“INDIA bloc will win at least 295 seats. This is not based on our survey. This is what people have told us," Kharge said after the meeting of INDIA bloc leaders at his residence on Saturday. 

Kharge also said that leaders of INDIA bloc have sought time from Election Commission of India on Sunday to discuss steps to be taken during counting of votes. 

The meeting, held as the seventh and last phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2024 is about to end, discussed the future course of action after the results of the Lok Sabha Elections are announced on June 4.

Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav SP, his party colleague, Ram Gopal Yadav, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, AAP leaders Sanjay Singh and Raghav Chadha.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, Jharkhand Chief Minister, Champai Soren, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, Sitaram Yechury of CPIM and Dipankar Bhattacharya of CPI(ML). These other than Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are also present in the meeting.

Top opposition leaders including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti are not attending the meeting. The DMK is represented by its TR Baalu in the meeting.

The meeting is underway amid voting taking place to decide the fate of 904 candidates, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, across 57 seats in seven states and one Union Territory in the last and final phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2024.

Soon after the polling of last phase is over, the results of Exit Polls for Lok Sabha Elections 2024 will be released. In a U turn, the Congress said that leaders of INDIA bloc parties will now take part in exit poll debates this evening. The, a day after Congress said on that its leaders will not participate in debates related to Lok Sabha elections exit polls on June 4.

The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) – an amalgamation of about 28 opposition parties – was formed with its first meeting in June 2023 to put up a collective fight against BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.

The BJP-led NDA, seeking a record third term under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has set a target of winning 400 seats this election.

As Punjab votes in the last phase of 18th Lok Sabha polls on June 1, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a letter addressed to the voters of the state said that PM Narendra Modi has indulged in most vicious form of hate speeches, which are purely divisive in nature.

"Modi has indulged in most vicious form of hate speeches, which are purely divisive in nature," said Singh in the letter shared by Congress on social media platform X.

Singh in the letter added that 'no PM in past has uttered such hateful, unparliamentary terms to target either a specific section of society or opposition.'

"No PM in past has uttered such hateful, unparliamentary terms to target either a specific section of society or opposition," remarked Manmohan Singh in the letter.

“In the past ten years, the BJP government has left no stone unturned in castigating Punjab, Punjabis and Punjabiyat. 750 farmers, mostly belonging to Punjab, were martyred while incessantly waiting at Delhi borders, for months together. As if the lathis and the rubber bullets were not enough, none less than the Prime Minister verbally assaulted our farmers by calling them "Andolanjeevis" and "Parjeevi" (Parasites) on the floor of the Parliament. Their only demand was the withdrawal of the three farm laws imposed on them without consulting them," said the former Prime Minister.

On economic front:

Manmohan Singh further continuing his attack on Modi-led government said that in the past 10 years, 'the nation's economy has witnessed unimaginable turmoil.'

"The imposition of the demonetisation disaster, a flawed GST, and the painful mismanagement during the COVID pandemic has resulted in a miserable situation, where an expectation of a subpar 6-7 per cent GDP growth has become the new normal. Average GDP Growth under BJP Government has plunged to under 6 per cent, while during Congress-UPA tenure, it was about 8 per cent (New Series)," commented Singh.

"While the Congress-UPA, despite challenges, increased the purchasing power of our people, the misrule of the BJP Government has resulted in depletion of household savings to a historic 47-year low. Rural wages have witnessed a systematic fall, and wage disparity has led to widespread distress," noted Singh in the letter.

On Agniveer scheme:

On Agniveer scheme, Singh said "BJP govt imposed Agniveer scheme; it thinks value of patriotism, service is only 4 years, shows their fake nationalism."

"Those who trained for regular recruitment were woefully betrayed by the outgoing regime. The youth of Punjab, the son of the farmer, who dreams of serving the motherland through the Armed Forces, is now thinking twice about getting recruited only for a 4-year stint. Agniveer Scheme endangers National Security. Congress party has therefore promised to abolish the Agniveer Scheme," added Singh.

Earlier. during campaigning in various parts of the country, PM Modi had accused Singh of saying that Muslims have the first right on the country's resources.Singh said people of India are seeing through all of this. "This narrative of dehumanisation has now reached its peak. It is now our duty to save our beloved nation from these forces of discord," Singh said in the letter.

After nearly two months of high-pitch campaigning and a hectic poll schedule of 7 phases, exit polls numbers have started coming in. According to five pollsters so far, the Narendra Modi-led NDA government is coming back to power with a landslide victory while the Opposition’s I.N.D.I.A. bloc managing somewhere between 125 and 150. 

Meanwhile, in a U-turn, Congress-led I.N.D.I.A. bloc has decided to participate in exit poll debates. Track all the latest updates on exit polls results as we provide you with minute-by-minute updates on the outcome of the Lok Sabha polls predicted by exit polls.

While the numbers vary, five exit polls are predicting that the INDIA bloc will be left far behind. None, though, have yet put the NDA across its dream score of 400 of 543 Lok Sabha seats. 

Exit Polls do not always get it right.

An aggregate of five exit polls indicates that the NDA will get 365 seats, the INDIA bloc will get 142 seats.

The maximum number of seats predicted for the NDA was 362-392, in the exit poll by Jan ki Baat. It predicts the Opposition bloc will get 141-161 seats.

It is followed by India News-D Dynamics, which is predicting that the NDA will get 371 seats and INDIA 125 seats.

The lowest score for the NDA comes from Republic TV-P MARQ – 359, and a corresponding higher score for the INDIA bloc, 154.