Women and youth are going to ensure that he comes back to power and retains the present tally of 127 seats in a House of 182, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi told The Indian Express just three days before the second phase of polling.

When asked about exit polls that show a dip for the BJP in the first phase of polls, he said: “The exit polls in this country are not very scientific.”

Denying that rebels played any role in the election, he underlines the support from women and youth as key to his campaign. Pointing out the cheering young men who have lined up to welcome him, waving BJP flags and running alongside his van, he said: “Have you noticed? Even women in rural areas wave at me. Some, in fact, want to shake hands with me. This is something unusual in rural Gujarat.”

He claims that in the first round of elections in Saurashtra and South Gujarat, there was a heavy turnout of women and youth — and that in at least six of the 87 constituencies that went to the polls last Tuesday, women voters outnumbered men. “You newspaper men should take note of this phenomenon,” he said.