Exit Polls And The Embedded Media

Exit polls are just that, exit polls. Nothing more, nothing less. The results are carried in the ballot boxes that are counted and voted under the supervision of the Election Commission of India, the candidates and their polling agents. In recent years, exit polls have mushroomed carrying a strange kind of legitimacy projected by the embedded media as the reality, or almost. The disclaimers from the anchors have become so weak that they are rarely heard and viewers switching on television are assailed by figures, and loud claims, and analysis as if indeed the statistics being spewed out by psephologists – many with unknown antecedents– reflect the final tally and thereby the will of the masses. What is really entertainment at the best, is made to acquire a legitimacy that is now not even backed by information — such as the sample size; the states covered; the number of polling stations covered; the age group targeted and so on. Even the details of the company conducting the survey are not shared with the viewers, where it is based; staff strength; the number of people it puts out into the field. In short, how it has arrived at the figures it has spun out for the media, that alone can establish the legitimacy or otherwise of these polls.

The point being made here is not who has won or lost in these surveys. Any party can win or lose at the end of the day, but the figures need to have an explanation and a demographic background. The television media channels reel these out with the anchors and guests often forgetting to tell the viewers that all the proclamations have to be taken with a pinch of salt. The result is as in the case today, just before the counting for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections is to commence, the opposition parties have had to issue directives to their workers not to be intimidated by the exit polls and the gleeful anchors and guard their counting centres zealously. Congress party leaders like Jairam Ramesh have warned the Opposition workers against the bid to overawe them, insisting that the story will be very different, and they must ensure that the last vote is counted. This is not a happy state of affairs, as exit polls cannot be allowed to become an arena for war with the political parties fighting the establishment actually worried about the psychological warfare afoot.

India has always enjoyed her elections. A democratic carnival really, a festive occasion that allows the normally silent and marginalised masses a say in their future. The women would dress up for the outing; the menfolk would gather at tea stalls and heatedly argue about the political prospects of their favourites; the villagers would speak their mind without fear; and the candidates would shake hands after a gruelling day of political rallies and finger-pointing. Now it has almost come to seem that the elections are a chore in an environment of fear and hate, and a certain whataboutery that does not strengthen democracy. Suspicions about EVM rigging abound and have never really been allayed; voters are silent as they do not want to become the targets of strongman groups; and the festivity and joy has been overshadowed by fear and polarisation.

The corporate media that has been doing a huge disservice to Indian democracy is directly responsible for this. The coverage of the elections, with only a few feet on the ground despite the resources they enjoy, has gone beyond all tenets of responsible, independent, honest reportage. The anchors have become actors who emote almost every statement they read out, and this adds to the atmospherics where the Opposition feels targeted and isolated. The nature of this beast is such that it attaches itself to the Establishment, and will shift to any political party or alliance that forms the government. It will also be accepted as it can do for the politician that independent journalists will hesitate or refuse to—it can camouflage the truth, make the lie become the fact, and ensure that the Establishment soars from strength to strength regardless of policy.

So it is imperative for all to remember that the polls have little to do with exit polls, and all to do with the voting and the counting and the declaration of results on D-day. In this case June 4. The people have made a great deal of effort to brave the heat and the journey to cast their vote. Do not deprive them of their day.

Cover Photograph EPA