AJP dismisses exit polls, says Assam voted for ‘real change’

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) on Thursday expressed strong confidence ahead of the results of the 2026 Assam Assembly elections, asserting that the people of Assam have voted for "real change" and that exit polls have failed to capture the actual public mood.

Speaking to the media, AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi and general secretary Jagadish Bhuyan, the party said exit polls aired by various television channels are merely "media shows" and not election results.

"An exit poll is only an exit poll, not an exact poll. The real mandate is in the hands of the people and sealed inside the EVMs. It will be revealed before the public on May 4," Gogoi said.

The remarks came after several television channels predicted a sweeping victory for the ruling BJP-led alliance in the Assam Assembly elections. Rejecting the projections, AJP argued that exit polls have a long history of inaccuracies in India. The party claimed that since 1996, more than 57 percent of exit polls in Indian elections have failed to correctly predict outcomes.

Citing past examples, AJP pointed to the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, where most exit polls predicted an easy NDA victory under the "India Shining" campaign, but the Congress-led UPA eventually formed the government. Similarly, the party referred to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, where polls underestimated BJP's performance, and the 2024 general elections, where projections of an NDA "400-plus" victory did not materialize.

Also Read: Exit polls predict BJP-led NDA victory in Assam