Prime Time
It was quite an evening for TV as exit polls for five assembly elections were declared 5.30 pm onwards, and discussed for six hours. Navika Kumar, Rahul Shivshankar, Arnab Goswami and Barkha Dutt all made waves for different reasons.
At least eight polls agreed to disagree, so all news channels went with a ‘poll of polls’ safety strategy, and agreed in the end.
The gap in numbers was sometimes unbridgeable: From India Today-Axis’s 104-122 for the Congress in Madhya Pradesh (230 seats) to C-Cube India Ahead’s 35 for the grand old party.
Republic TV conducted two polls with different results, only to increase confrontation in the studio and confusion for the viewer. For variation, BTVi presented an ‘opinion poll of journalists’.
As the polls indicated possible Congress gains across the Hindi heartland, party members from these states suddenly came out from the cold—in recent years, top Congress politicians have shunned news channels but last evening, Ashok Gehlot, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sachin Pilot graced many debates.
Likewise, Barkha Dutt made a rare TV appearance as a panelist and anchors, sensing a change of heart in the heartland, were suddenly asking questions of the BJP. Rahul Shivshankar and Navika Kumar led the way on Times Now.
After its Times Now-CNX poll showed the Congress winning Rajasthan and improving its poll position in MP and Chhattisgarh, Shivshankar commented: “The BJP’s romance with the Hindi heartland is almost over”, saying a 5 per cent swing towards the Congress was “dramatic”. Kumar, meanwhile, talked of a “jolt” to the BJP
On the panel debate led by Shivshankar, senior journalist Sanjeev Srivastava said, “Vasundhra Raje has become the symbol of whatever is wrong with incumbency.”
Meanwhile, Faizan Kidwai of the Samajwadi Party took the Congress to task: “We wanted to have alliance in MP and it was because of the Congress that the alliance did not materialise.”
Republic TV
Its two opinion polls, with C-Voter and Jan ki Baat, in disagreement but showing the BJP “neck to neck” with the Congress in the three Hindi heartland states, Arnab Goswami was “shocked and surprised” by the grand old party’s good showing.
“This is an incredible result, unimaginable,” he said.
Pradeep Bhandari of Jan ki Baat defended his agency’s prediction of a BJP win in Rajasthan. “The BJP is not getting ousted in Rajasthan, It’s in the fight,” he insisted, claiming he had travelled the length and breadth of the state and knew what he was talking about.
Waris Pathan of the AIMIM said, “The mood of the nation is clear, the people have rejected Modi, Amit Shah and the BJP. This is all due to their arrogance.”
India Today
Rahul Kanwal called Madhya Pradesh “too close to call” and “tough for a pollster” to predict.
Political analyst Javed Ansari, responding to journalist Rajdeep Sardesai’s comment that the Congress didn’t work as hard as other parties on the ground, said, “As far as MP and Rajasthan are concerned, they’ve (Congress) worked much harder now than in the last 15 years”. Kanwal agreed, saying, “Pilot (Rajasthan) has fought harder than Scindia (in MP).”
Political scientist Sandeep Shastri was riled up about Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s suspicions on the EVM’s “strange” behaviour: “All this EVM talk is happening on the day of polling… The Congress has …not been in winning ways so it does not know how to deal with a situation where it may actually win”.
ABP News
ABP News was the slowest with its numbers, going region by region in each state. With its Lokniti-CSDS poll indicating Congress victories in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh but a BJP win in Chhattisgarh, anchor Rubika Liyaquat asked why, despite anti-incumbency, the Congress, was not sweeping the heartland. Congress spokesperson Abhay Dubey replied: “The poll numbers are wrong, we are going to form the government with a total majority.”
BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi scoffed: “BJP will form the government for sure in Madhya Pradesh. In Rajasthan also…”
NDTV India
The channel did not conduct polls but discussed them nevertheless: Ravish Kumar had words of caution for all: Don’t overanalyse the numbers till results day, 11 December. “Those people who are in tension should go to Goa till 11 December and enjoy a mini vacation.”
Aaj Tak
The India Today-Axis exit poll showed a favourable outcome for the Congress.
Anchor Anjana Om Kashyap tried hard to get Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot to say he would be chief minister if the party wins, but the former union minister gave the standard reply: He was happy to go along with any role given by the party high command.
Asked the reason behind his party’s predicted success, Pilot said the BJP sought to divert attention from the main issues by talking about ‘gotra’ and religion while the Congress focussd on employment and the economy.
News X
News X predicted a Congress victory in Rajasthan. Congressman Manvendra Singh, who contested the election against chief miniser Vasundhara Raje, said, “I think the broader message that has gone out is that the Congress has the zeal, has the spirit, and has the manpower to take on a challenge.”
With Telangana predicted to go to the TRS, and BJP nowhere in the numbers, BJP member IYR Krishnarao said the TDP-Congress alliance had `”weakened the Telangana sentiment, and that looks to be working in favour of KCR”.
NDTV 24×7
The channel managed to inject some humour into the poll game: Amid discussions on who would be distributing sweets on counting day, and how many, anchor Vikram Chandra cautioned, “Don’t buy mithai… on the basis of exit polls.”
Mirror Now
Last but not the least, Barkha Dutt was on TV as a panelist, and not anchor. In a debate on Mirror Now, she politely raised a hand and analysed the polls: MP and Chhattisgarh showed “fatigue for chief ministers”, Telangana had issued a “health warning”, and the southern states “will decide 2019”.