The founder of Axis My India, Pradeep Gupta, announced that the organisation will not release its exit poll results for the West Bengal assembly election due to an unexpectedly high non-response rate. The organisation's field research exercise covered all 294 Assembly constituencies, but a staggering 70% of approached voters declined to participate in the survey.
Gupta stated that the non-response rate exceeded historical norms and introduced a high degree of non-response bias, making it difficult to publish reliable exit poll estimates. Despite travelling over 8,324 kilometres to complete the fieldwork, Axis My India has decided not to release its findings.
Other prominent pollsters have released exit poll projections, painting a divided picture of the likely outcome in West Bengal. Some surveys forecast a victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while others suggest that the Trinamool Congress (TMC), led by chief minister Mamata Banerjee, will retain power.
The results of the West Bengal assembly election will be out on May 4, with the TMC looking for a straight fourth term in the state, while the BJP aims to create history by winning in Bengal for the first time.
