Can National Media Gauge The Pulse of AP?

We are inching towards the results day of Andhra Pradesh Elections. Even before the results, the hungama will begin well in advance on 19th of this month as the National Media Channels will be gearing up to release the Exit Poll Surveys in the evening of that day.

The Polling for the Last Phase of the General Elections will conclude that day and the ban on the Exit Polls will be lifted. However, the big question is ‘Can National Media Gauge The Pulse of AP?’. Way back in 2014, most of the media house has faltered in gauging the mood of the people in AP.

A majority of Channels have predicted a YSR Congress victory or a close contest in Andhra Pradesh Assembly back then but neither of that happened. Even an agency like Today’s Chanakya which got the National Prediction bang on predicted a narrow victory for Jagan Reddy which proved to be wrong.

So even after the results, we can not rest in peace about the results of Andhra Pradesh. Be it in 2014 or 2019, Andhra Pradesh elections are hard-fought with less than 2% difference between the winner and the losing side. It is not at all easy to catch such pulse especially by those media distant from the reality of the South.