Exit polls do very often create expectations that turn out to be at variance with reality, a fact that makes the Election Commission advise caution while interpreting such polls. Announcing the polling dates for Maharashtra and Jharkhand, the Commission said people should study in detail the details of such exit polls, including the areas and sample size involved.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar pointed out that media have to be more introspective on how they report on exit polls. He said, “We don’t regulate exit polls, but introspection is needed regarding aspects such as sample size. The time has come for relevant bodies to exercise self-regulation.”
While a gap between expectations and reality creates frustration among the public, trends did not always match the exit poll results,” Kumar underlined. He also referred to controversies created during the recent counting of votes in Haryana when the Congress party, which, according to exit polls, was supposed to win with a comfortable majority, saw its fortunes decline drastically after early leads.
The Congress party had raised alarms over the timing of the trend announcements, which they said led to confusion in the counting process. Kumar explained that it is structured regarding the timing of the results: “Results normally start around 8:05 or 8:10 in the morning, which is not practical. Counting starts at 8:30, and we give updates every two hours starting at 9:30 a.m.”.
The latest count is available here at the counting booth only because figures take time to be uploaded on the official website. More than a quarter-hour is just not sufficient to complete the counting of one round, and that would mean first-round results are normally ready by 8:50 a.m. and published on the Election Commission website at 9:30 a.m.,” Kumar further explained.
