THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: ‘Sample fire works’ ahead of the ‘Kerala poll pooram’ scheduled for May 2 will be staged on Thursday night as at least half a dozen media organisations are set to declare the results of their exit polls. The Election Commission’s ban on exit polls will cease at 7pm on Thursday when the final phase of polling concludes in West Bengal. News channels will begin telecast of exit polls from 7pm.
Three mainstream vernacular news channels and at least three national channels are learnt to have readied exit poll results. The poll was conducted by pan national agencies on April 6 among select sections of voters across the state. Though both the LDF and the UDF claimed they will win a majority, all pre-poll surveys, except the one done by the Congress’ mouthpiece channel Jaihind TV, had favoured the LDF. While the initial rounds of the surveys said predicted the LDF would win a clear majority with over 80 seats, the final round estimates by the same agencies projected fewer seats for the front.
Political leaders who had done their own maths to project the best and worst scenarios of the results are now awaiting the exit poll results with their fingers crossed. During the pre-poll phase, UDF leaders had questioned the veracity of exit polls with Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala alleging that a section of media was doing paid surveys favouring the LDF. It may be recalled that exit polls proved correct during the previous assembly elections. In 2016, at least two polls predicted around 90 seats for the LDF which ended up winning 91 seats.