Pradeep Gupta, founder of Axis My India, said that 70% to 80% [1] of West Bengal voters were unwilling to share their views with pollsters.
This high rate of voter silence undermines the scientific basis of exit polling, potentially leading to inaccurate projections for the 294 [3] seats contested in the Assembly elections. When a vast majority of the electorate refuses to participate in surveys, the resulting data may not represent the actual will of the people.
The voting took place on April 9, 2026 [2]. Gupta said that low voter confidence and a fear of repercussions led many citizens to remain silent. He said that around 70% to 80% [1] of voters do not want to share their views with pollsters.
Axis My India has not released its data. A spokesperson for the firm said the Election Commission asked them to refrain from publishing any exit-poll data until the official results are declared [2]. This restriction is intended to prevent the influence of premature projections on the electoral process.
Despite these challenges and the official ban, some media outlets have released their own projections. A political analyst said that some outlets are releasing data suggesting a close contest between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) [2].
These conflicting reports highlight a divide in the polling community. While some agencies report live percentages for each party [2], others argue that scientific polling is currently impossible due to the silence rate [1]. This discrepancy suggests that different polling methodologies may be producing vastly different results in the region.
“Around 70% to 80% of voters are silent and do not want to share their views with pollsters.”
The reported silence of up to 80% of the electorate suggests a volatile political atmosphere in West Bengal where voters may fear social or political retaliation for disclosing their choice. This creates a 'blind spot' for analysts, meaning that official results may deviate significantly from any exit polls released by media outlets, as the sample size of willing participants may be skewed toward more confident or vocal demographics.
