When the claims of veterans failed, from Bengal to Kerala, were the election predictions proved true in 2021?: – ..

News India Live, Digital Desk: Whenever the election bugle rings in the country, after the last phase of voting, everyone’s eyes are fixed on the ‘exit poll’. Everyone is eager to know who will sit on the seat of power. But are these exit polls always accurate? The results of the 2021 assembly elections tell a similar story, where the claims of the survey agencies in many states fell flat. Let us remember those figures of Bengal, Assam, Kerala and Tamil Nadu which surprised everyone.

West Bengal: Didi’s charisma changed the exit polls.

The most talked about election in 2021 was West Bengal. A close contest was being considered between BJP and TMC. Several major exit polls, such as ‘Jan Ki Baat’ and ‘Republic-CNX’ had shown the BJP close to a majority. Many estimated that BJP could win 140 to 150 seats. However, when the results came on May 2, Mamata Banerjee’s TMC won a thumping majority by winning 213 seats, while the BJP was limited to 77 seats. Most of the exit polls here appeared to be a complete failure.

Assam: Where speculations caught the right pulse

Unlike Bengal, the exit poll results in Assam remained largely close to reality. Surveys like India Today-Axis My India and Chanakya had predicted the return of the BJP-led coalition (NDA). The same was visible in the results – NDA retained power by winning 75 seats. Assam was one of the few states where the surveyors’ calculations were correct and the claims of the anti-incumbency wave were dashed.

Kerala and Tamil Nadu: Dominance of LDF and DMK

There was doubt about the decades-long tradition in the history of Kerala (change of government every 5 years), but exit polls had indicated the return of LDF. In the results, Pinarayi Vijayan registered a landslide victory. At the same time, almost all the survey agencies in Tamil Nadu had predicted a big victory for the DMK alliance led by MK Stalin, which proved to be absolutely correct. The AIADMK fort collapsed in Tamil Nadu and there was a change of power after ten years.

Puducherry: Accurate analysis on the small state

The exit poll performance was also better in the Union Territory of Puducherry. Here the victory of NR Congress and BJP alliance was predicted. When the boxes were opened after voting, the data confirmed the claims of the survey and the NDA government was formed there. These figures of 2021 still remind us that it is not so easy to gauge the public mood in politics, especially when the contest is ‘close’.