New Delhi, June 4, 2024: In a dramatic turn of events, the head of Axis My India, Pradeep Gupta, broke down on live television as the election results did not align with his firm’s exit poll predictions.
Axis My India’s exit polls had forecasted a landslide victory for the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), predicting they would win between 361 to 401 seats. This was in line with the BJP’s ‘400 paar’ poll slogan, suggesting they were set for their biggest mandate ever.
However, the actual results told a different story. As of 6 pm, the latest counting trends showed the NDA maintaining a steady lead of around 290 seats, with the BJP ahead on 239 seats. This was a far cry from Axis My India’s projection of a clean sweep for the NDA.
Discussing the results on a television panel, a visibly emotional Pradeep Gupta could not hold back his tears. The anchor and fellow panelists tried to console him as he broke down, struggling to come to terms with the discrepancy between the exit polls and the final outcome.
Earlier in the day, Gupta had defended Axis My India’s track record, stating that the firm had conducted exit polls for 69 elections in the last 10 years, and their predictions had been accurate 65 times. “As far as credibility is concerned, people who are raising questions should have a look at our track record, they will be satisfied,” he had said.
However, the stark contrast between the exit polls and the actual results on counting day left Gupta visibly shaken, a testament to the challenges faced by pollsters in accurately predicting electoral outcomes.
