The INDIA bloc has reversed all exit poll predictions decimating NDA’s ambitious ‘400 paar’ target or is it that exit polls never had anything to with actual pulse of the nation. Was it just aimed to enhance TRP of news channels or was it a compulsion of one and all exit poll agencies to participate in the mad race to impress the masses, incase their respective findings matched up with some reality, post declaration of results.
However, in past 48-hours, exit polls have weighed heavy on investors in the stock market, as based on their predictions, small time investors had heavily invested in share market, which on Monday made the Sensex rocket to a life time high, in view of majority being attained by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for a third consecutive time. However, barely 24 hours later the markets crashed like a pack of cards, making investors lose their hard earned money amounting in several lakh crores, after BJP failed to attain majority.
Upset with the same, share market traders as well as some politicians have demanded a ban on exit polls which resulted in heavy losses and projected nothing but lies.
Videos are going viral of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home minister Amit Shah, during seperate interviews advising investments in stocks before June 4, as the same would rocket up post declaration of results with BJP coming to power for the third consecutive time with a thumping majority. Gullible investors seeing a big opportunity invested heavily and reaped benefits on Monday (June 3), a day before declaration of results. Exit polls also doubled up supporting the claims of the BJP leaders. But to their shock, on the day of counting (June 4), as the picture cleared up, market nosedived to all time low, plummeting Sensex and other index to the level registered during Covid. Investors lost a whopping Rs 43 lakh crore in just one day.
Says Munendra Srivastava, a share market trader, “We beleived exit polls and invested heavily. Such polls should be banned as I have lost all investments and have been rendred bankrupt. Who will repay my loss?”.
Most of the exit polls predicted the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would win more than 350 Lok Seats. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal just before surrendering to the Tihar Jail authorities, post 21-day interim bail granted by Supreme Court, came down heavily on exit polls. He said exit polls were totally fake and unreliable as it had predicted a complete victory for NDA which proved to be just wrong.
‘Take it in writing, exit polls are all fake. One exit poll gave 33 seats to BJP in Rajasthan musch against the act that there are only 25 seats in Rajasthan,” he added.
As per Kejriwal the real issue to be focused upon is timing of release of exit polls. Why such fake exit polls were floated just three days before counting of votes? ‘There are several theories about such fake exit polls, one allegedly aimed to manipulate the machines (EVM),’ he added.
It may be mentioned that almost all exit polls had vehemently predicted that the BJP-led NDA would win more than 350 Lok Sabha Seats, around three of these exit polls even claiming that the same would cross the 400 seat target.
Further, as per reports, AAP leader and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh has also called for a ban on exit polls, alleging that the exit polls were an attempt to influence the Lok Sabha election results.
He alleged that absolutely absurd figures were released to manipulate the stock market to benefit big investors.
Singh further alleged that agencies which conducted post-poll surveys showing a thumping victory for the NDA did so under pressure from the ruling party at the Centre.
“However, I am extremely grateful to such agencies for exposing themselves in front of the nation. I believe there must have been severe pressure on them to change the exit poll numbers,” he added.
It may be mentioned that exit polls had predicted a landslide victory for the BJP and its coalition which proved a dampner. Performance of NDA in states with maximum parliamentary seats like Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal exposed the real worth of such polls which were much off-the-target.
Also, several discrepancies were witnessed in exit polls which proved that the agencies were in an overdrive to achieve an alleged undeclared agenda that to under pressure. For example one of the exit polls gave two to three seats in Jharkhand to the CPI (M), which was not contesting the polls in the state while In Tamil Nadu, the Congress contested on nine seats but agencies gave them 15 seats.
In previous 2014 and 2019 General elections also, exit polls were far from ground reality.
Exit Polls in 2014
Various agencies conducting surveys to assess voters pulse had accorded the NDA seats between
249 to 340 while for UPA the same was pegged between 97 to 148 seats.
However results shocked one and all. In 16th Lok Sabha, NDA secured 336 seats including 282 of BJP while UPA bagged 60 seats including 44 of Congress.
Exit Polls in 2019
Likewise, in 17th Lok Sabha elections, exit polls had misjudged the nation’s pulse. Pollsters had predicted NDA to bag seats between 300 and 365 while for UPA the same was in the range of 77 and 132.
However, final results disappointed one and all. NDA won 352 seats including BJP securing 303 seats while UPA registered victory on 91 seats including 52 of Congress.
The Lok Sabha elections 2024 witnessed a direct fight between the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Congress-led INDIA bloc. The ruling BJP seeks a third straight term under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
