- The Indian citizens are brought up on such a steady diet of elections-related paraphernalia throughout the year that it feels something is missing if no polls take part for some months. We are used to perpetually being bombarded with electioneering, manifestos, assurances, promises, inducements, and incentives being bandied about by the political class to seek endorsement from the people. Indians are quite exposed to this phenomenon that plays out around the year when one or the other form of election is announced. It could be the local panchayat/municipal/corporation election, state assembly election, or for that matter, the mother of all polls – the general election itself. The constant election mode in the country continues.
PC: Hindustan Times
- Thus, prima facie, it appears an extremely welcoming idea when no less than the country’s Prime Minister strongly proposes the One Nation One Election to ensure multiple polls are not hindering the growth prospects. The model code of conduct that comes into effect means the government cannot function optimally since the administration is occupied elsewhere to ensure polls are conducted fairly and peacefully. The excitement usually associated with the polling is palpable, what with the print and electronic media alongside a wide bouquet of social media platforms going full throttle covering every bit of news associated with the emerging pattern and trends. The poll pundits are ubiquitous with their predictions/forecasts in every conceivable way and means.
- The moot point to ponder over here is to what extent the poll experts can qualify as successful in line with the people’s choices. Let’s dwelve to infer how the pollsters are increasingly becoming a laughingstock unable to accurately assess the pulse of the people and far removed from the ground realities. Yes, earlier poll experts were more or less accurate in predicting which political party or alliance would emerge triumphant at the hustings. However, of late, the experts’ predictions on some of the marquee elections including the Lok Sabha polls have not only gone terribly wrong but also questioned the methodology or science associated with their guesstimates proving completely far removed from reality. Especially, the exit polls have been a damp squib.
PC: Mint
- Take for instance when the Lok Sabha exit poll results from all the major players showed how the Bharatiya Janata Party would comfortably cross the 300 plus seats and the National Democratic Alliance would breach the 350 plus seats, respectively. We know the eventual results were far from the anticipated expectations with the BJP failing to obtain the majority of its own. Likewise, the recently concluded Haryana election predicted a windfall for the Congress with every poll expert predicting a landslide victory for the Grand Old Party. A stunning come-from-behind hattrick of victory for the BJP fighting the anti-incumbency must have completely made the experts appear stupid. Are the poll pundits relevant anymore? I don’t think so. What do you say?
