New Delhi: Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Sunday criticised the growing trend of exit polls, claiming they have been “commercialised” and should not be taken as a reflection of actual electoral outcomes.
Speaking ahead of the official counting of votes, Tagore said that exit polls today are often driven more by business interests and media competition than by accurate data. He urged the public and political observers to remain cautious and wait for the official results declared by the Election Commission of India.
“Exit polls have become commercialised. We have seen in the past how many of them have gone wrong. It is better to wait for the real results,” Tagore said, expressing skepticism over projections being widely circulated across television and digital platforms.
His remarks come amid a flood of exit poll predictions following the conclusion of voting in key elections, with several agencies forecasting varying outcomes. While some projections indicate a clear advantage for particular parties, others suggest a close contest, adding to the uncertainty.
The Congress leader also pointed out that voters’ choices cannot always be captured accurately through post-poll surveys, especially in a diverse and complex electoral landscape like India. He said factors such as regional dynamics, silent voters, and last-minute swings often make exit poll predictions unreliable.
Political parties across the spectrum have historically had mixed reactions to exit polls, often questioning their credibility when projections go against them. In several past elections, actual results have differed significantly from pre-result surveys, further fuelling debates around their reliability.
Despite the criticism, media organisations and polling agencies continue to defend exit polls, arguing that they provide a broad snapshot of voter sentiment and are conducted using established sampling methods. They maintain that while not perfect, exit polls remain an important part of election coverage.
As counting day approaches, attention now shifts to the official results, which will ultimately determine the outcome of the elections. Until then, leaders like Tagore have called for restraint, urging both supporters and analysts to avoid drawing conclusions based solely on preliminary projections.
