Miffed with surveys predicting its defeat in three of the four election-bound states, the BJP has come up with its own reports of surveys forecasting victory in all four states.The survey news, in journalistic parlance, is the scoop on the party’s official newsletter BJP Today, featuring as the cover report.Even if the surveys were indeed conducted at the behest of the party, general secretary Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi would not acknowledge it. ‘‘Different agencies have carried them out for themselves,’’ he said. Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan were surveyed by Research and Development Initiative, Chhattisgarh by Shodh of Jabalpur and Delhi by Pulse Track. People outside BJP circles, however, are clueless about the profile of these ‘‘different agencies’’.The party surveys have one thing in common with the ones emanating from well-known agencies and newspapers — both predict a victory for the BJP in MP. ‘‘We are poised for a landslide victory in MP by bagging 168 of the 230 seats,’’ Naqvi said. The BJP vote share is forecast at 46.5 per cent, which implies a 7.6 per cent swing in favour of the BJP in the bipolar polity of the state. The Congress stops short at 37.2 per cent.In Rajasthan, the Research and Development Initiative forecasts a ‘‘comfortable lead with 110 seats out of 200’’. The study gives only 80 seats to the Congress and 10 to small parties and independents. The BJP vote share is predicted to be 44.7 per cent, 10.79 per cent up from its share in the last elections.The party’s vote share is almost the same in Chhattisgarh at 44 per cent. Here, the BJP will claim just half of the total 90 seats. It concedes 41 seats to the Congress with 41 per cent votes. The Nationalist Congress Party, according to BJP pollsters, would hold the balance with five seats. The BJP would have everybody believe that ‘‘Shri Judeo (Dilip Singh Judeo) is riding a sympathy wave as the common public perception is that the Judeo tape is Jogi mischief’’.On its soft retreat on projecting Judeo as the chief ministerial candidate, Naqvi said: ‘‘You see, it was our strategy not to project anyone as chief minister.’’In Delhi, the BJP gives itself a clear majority with 37 to 41 seats from a total of 70. The Congress tally is placed between 29 and 33 seats. ‘‘It is a very close contest but the BJP has a clear edge over the Congress,’’ Naqvi said.That may or may not be but the BJP’s clear-cut surveys certainly have an edge over others.
