Manohar Parrikar praises Chanakya opinion poll

Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar on Friday had a word of praise for the 'Today's Chanakya' poll, which upstaged five other exit poll surveys, by coming closest to the final outcome of the 2014 general elections.

"I have to congratulate (Today's) Chanakya. They were almost perfect," Parrikar told a press conference in Panaji at the party's state headquarters. Incidentally, Parrikar is himself referred to as 'Chanakya', (after the wise mentor who taught statecraft to ancient Mauryan king Chandragupta) in Goa's political circles for his wily maneuvering skills.

"Unlike other surveys, 'Today's Chanakya' even got the statewide performance on the dot," he said. The 'Today's Chanakya' poll was conducted by RNB Research, a global market research company.

The poll predicted that BJP would win 291 seats and even allotted a margin of 14 seats. With the counting of votes in its final phases, the BJP has already won 284 seats. 'Today's Chanakya' caught the popular imagination right after it predicted a powerhouse performance for the Aam Aadmi Party in 2013 Delhi assembly elections, at a time when other surveys forecast a poor result for the Aravind Kejriwal-led party.