Very hopeful of positive results: Sonia Gandhi

New Delhi: Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Monday said her party is very hopeful that the results of the Lok Sabha elections will be totally opposite to what has been shown in the exit polls. "We have to wait, just wait and see," Sonia Gandhi said when asked about her expectations from the results scheduled to be announced on Tuesday.

"We are very hopeful that our results are completely opposite to what the exit polls are showing," the Congress parliamentary party chief added.

Sonia Gandhi made the remarks after attending an event held at the DMK office here. She paid tributes to DMK stalwart M Karunanidhi on his 100th birth anniversary. Most exit polls have predicted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will retain power for a third straight term, with the BJP-led NDA expected to win a big majority in the Lok Sabha polls.

Exit polls do not reflect pulse of people: Tharoor

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Monday said the exit polls, which have predicted a third term for the BJP at the Centre, do not reflect the pulse of the people accurately and asserted that the Opposition INDIA bloc will be getting 295 seats in the Lok Sabha elections.

Counting of votes polled for 543 Lok Sabha seats over seven phases will be done on Tuesday across the country. Various post-poll surveys have backed the BJP to romp home with a strong majority.

Tharoor cited Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's assertion earlier that the INDIA bloc will get more than 295 seats.

The senior leader, who is the Congress-led UDF candidate for Thiruvananthapuram, said he and his party are quite relaxed going into the counting on Tuesday, and once again exuded confidence that he would emerge victorious from here for the fourth straight time.