CEC Rajiv Kumar Questions Exit Poll Accuracy

New Delhi | Desk: Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar made a statement on Tuesday regarding the reliability of exit polls. He remarked, “Exit polls should be a subject of self-reflection and introspection for the media, particularly electronic media. Over the last few elections, several issues have arisen simultaneously.”

Earlier, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar announced the assembly election schedules for Jharkhand and Maharashtra. During a press conference on Tuesday, he stated, “The Maharashtra elections will be conducted in a single phase, with voting scheduled for November 20 and the counting of votes on November 23.”

He further explained, “In Jharkhand, voting will take place in two phases: the first phase on November 13, and the second on November 20. The vote counting for both states will occur on November 23.

Kumar emphasized the need for deeper scrutiny for exit poll, saying, “There must be introspection about how exit polls are conducted. What was the sample size? Where was the survey carried out? How were the results determined? And, if the actual results don’t align with the exit poll predictions, what responsibility do we bear?”

He further commented on the timing of result announcements, stating, “As soon as counting begins, results start appearing by 8:05 or 10 minutes past 8, claiming a lead for certain parties. This is misleading. Our first counting officially begins at 8:30. It’s not done to validate the exit polls.”

He added, “It takes us until 9:05, or sometimes 10 or even 20 minutes, to complete the first round of counting. We then publish the results on our website by 9:31.”

Kumar’s remarks come in light of the Haryana assembly elections, where most exit polls had predicted that Congress would secure the majority. However, the final result saw the BJP winning the majority, raising fresh concerns about the credibility of exit polls.