Axis-My India exit poll forecast for The West Bengal Assembly elections will not be held, according to the organization’s founder Pradeep Gupta, who said voters chose to remain silent about who they voted for.
Gupta said on Wednesday that voters had not responded to their poll.
“Look, the Axis My India method is to talk to people face to face. When we tried to talk after the first phase, about 60-70 per cent of people were shut down. They were not even ready to say yes or no,” Gupta told NDTV.
He added: “No one is ready to talk to anyone in the context of elections. So, as long as our sample is not representative, based on a 20-30 percent sample, we do not think it is right to predict any number. Therefore, we will try again on Thursday. Maybe after the elections are held, people will be more comfortable.”
However, Axis My India said on Thursday afternoon that it would not publish the forecast, NDTV reported.
Most of the leading pollsters have issued exit poll forecasts showing a divided picture of the likely outcome in West Bengal. Some polls predicted a win Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while others suggest that the Trinamool Congress (TMC), led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, will retain the power they have held for 15 years in the state.
West Bengal voted in two phases on April 23 and 29 for 294 seats after intense campaigning by both the BJP and TMC. The results will be published on May 4, as Trinamul seeks a fourth consecutive term in the state while the BJP aims to make history by winning Bengal for the first time. To form a government in the state, any party or alliance will need to reach the majority mark of 148 seats.
What other polls predict for West Bengal
According to Matrez, TMC+ may fall short of the majority mark by a few seats, winning between 125 and 140 constituencies. It gave an edge to the BJP, predicting that it may win 146-161 seats, indicating a close contest between the two major parties.
A similar forecast was made by pollster P-Marq, which said the BJP is expected to lead in 150-175 seats, while the incumbent Trinamool Congress may win 118-138 seats. He also expected that other parties would be able to obtain between two and six seats.
Exit polls Diary has predicted a clear win for the BJP, indicating that the party may win 142-171 seats, while the TMC may fall well short of the majority mark with just 99-127 seats.
However, pollster People’s Pulse has given a different forecast, suggesting that the current TMC government may retain power in the state, though its tally may fall to 177-187 seats from the current 215 seats in the assembly. It expected the BJP to get 95-110 seats.
