New Delhi, June 2 : Matrize Director Manoj Kumar Singh said on Sunday that the Congress will continue to struggle as it has been relying too much on regional parties instead of harnessing its strength.

"It seems that neither any 'Rahul wave' nor (Congress President Mallikarjun) Kharge's poll strategy or support from the INDIA bloc partners has made any impact on Congress' fortunes in these elections. I feel it is because the grand old party has been reluctant to lead from the front and fight on its own. The party is relying on the RJD in Bihar, the SP in Uttar Pradesh, missing in West Bengal, finding Odisha out of its hands, and will do well in Maharashtra only because of Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar," said Singh after Matrize released its exit poll.

He said that the BJP has not only benefited from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's massive popularity but also due to the emergence of several leaders who are ready to take the party forward.

"BJP owes its rising vote percentage to not only PM Modi but also a 'sena' (army) of capable leaders like (UP CM) Yogi Adityanath, (Assam CM) Himanta Biswa (Sarma) and several others. This is the reason why the party has maintained its stronghold over north, east, west, and now even south India," said Singh.

Slamming critics who are questioning the reliability of exit polls, the head of the poll survey agency said that exit polls should be treated like an exit poll and not the final result.

"It is but natural that the party which has been projected as not doing well in exit polls will raise questions on its authenticity. Blaming the voting machines would be the next step. By conducting exit polls, we only arrive at a rough figure which could be close to the final result. The votes have already been cast, nothing will change just because of the exit polls," said Singh.

The Matrize Director credited West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee with being one of the most influential leaders in the opposition alliance but said that the leader is losing her grip over the state due to the rising crime graph. "Mamata Banerjee deserves praise for taking on the BJP but at the same time, she seems to be on a backfoot due to the collapse of law and order in the state. The development work too has also hit a major roadblock," he stated.

/IANS