New Delhi: Axis My India chairman and managing director Pradeep Gupta wept on live television after his exit poll prediction about the NDA’s overwhelming victory went horribly wrong.
Axis My India, which conducted the polls with India Today, had said the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance would get close to 400 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Afternoon trends showed the NDA was falling short of 300 seats, and the BJP much lesser than the 303 it won in 2019.
While the NDA crossed the halfway mark of 272, the BJP was way behind that number which meant the party alone could not get a majority like last time.
Axis My India’s prediction fell apart as the INDIA alliance performed much better than what was expected by pollsters.
Participating in an India Today discussion, Gupta broke down as news anchors consoled him, citing the many polls in the past that he had got right.
An anchor also cracked a joke, while another said: “It’s ok, chalta rehta hai (it happens). It’s the song of life.” However, Gupta cried again before collecting himself and said this verdict would make the central government focus even more on delivering on its promises.
In the exit polls broadcast on 1 June, Axis My India predicted a landslide victory for the NDA with 361 to 401 seats — the upper limit in line with the BJP’s “400 paar” poll slogan.
It forecast 131 to 166 seats for the INDIA bloc, much lower than the numbers on counting day as the opposition front was leading on 230 seats at 6 pm.
The majority of exit polls, which were released following the final round of voting on Saturday, showed the BJP and the NDA would win with a comfortable majority, if not a landslide.
Most of them pegged the NDA getting around 365 Lok Sabha seats, an increase from the 352 it won in 2019. The INDIA coalition was reduced to just 146, but it ultimately got over 220.
A day ago, Gupta had backed the predictions and told news agency ANI that Axis My India had conducted exit polls for the last 10 years. “We have done that for 69 elections, including two Lok Sabha elections. Our predictions have been correct 65 times… and in these 65 times, every opposition party including the Congress has won one or the other time.”
“As far as credibility is concerned, people who are raising questions should have a look at our track record, they will be satisfied,” he added.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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