Polling agency Axis My India, will not make any predictions from its exit polls conducted in West Bengal because of an insufficient amount of data, according to a statement released by the firm.
The chairman and managing director of the company, Pradeep Gupta, has stated that most of the people did not reveal their voting preferences.
‘People were not ready to speak’
Explaining the decision, Gupta said the agency’s methodology relies on face-to-face interactions with voters immediately after they cast their ballots.
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“About 60–70 per cent of people had their lips sealed. They were not even ready to say yes or no,” he told NDTV.
He added that without a sufficiently representative sample, releasing projections based on limited responses would be misleading. “On the basis of a 20–30 per cent sample, we do not believe it is right to predict any number,” Gupta said.
The agency had released exit poll data for Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry on April 29 but chose to withhold Bengal estimates.
Exit polls hint at close contest
Most exit polls released after the second phase of voting suggested a tight race between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Press Release - West Bengal Assembly Election 2026 – Axis My India Exit Poll#PressRelease#WestBengalElection2026#ExitPoll2026@PradeepGuptaAMI pic.twitter.com/6bL7TK1fUD
— Axis My India (@AxisMyIndia) April 30, 2026
Several pollsters, including Matrize, PMARQ and Poll Diary, projected an edge for the BJP, with some predicting the party could cross the majority mark of 148 seats in the 294-member Assembly. Others, such as Janmat and People’s Pulse, forecast the TMC retaining power.
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The elections, held in two phases, are widely seen as a direct contest between the two parties.
Accuracy concerns persist
The exit poll in India has been criticised due to its inaccuracy. For instance, during the 2021 Assembly elections, most projections pointed at a tough battle, although the TMC emerged victorious by winning 215 seats against 77 from the BJP.
The counting process is scheduled to start on May 4, meaning that the results will show the accuracy of this year’s projections.
