Why Are Major Channels & Survey Agencies Silent About Jubilee Hills?

We are only hours away from the Counting Day for the Jubilee Hills By-election. By this time tomorrow, the verdict will already be known. All major political parties and their candidates are waiting with bated breath for the final result.

This time, something unusual has happened with the Exit Polls. Major TV channels and well-known survey agencies stayed away from conducting or publishing exit poll results. Only 8–9 lesser known agencies released their findings after polling, and channels simply discussed them.

Usually, TV channels commission their own surveys to study the ground reality. But they chose not to do so now. Agencies like AARAA Masthan and Atma Sakshi also remained silent. Their reputation took a hit after predicting a YSR Congress win in the 2024 Andhra Pradesh elections, which turned out to be incorrect.

It is surprising that major channels like TV9, NTV, and TV5 also did not present any exit polls. One reason could be the high cost of conducting surveys for a single constituency. Another reason may be the risk of upsetting either Congress or the BRS.

Congress is currently in power, while the BRS remains a strong political force. Channel managements may not want to offend one party by predicting victory for the other. Telugu news channels are highly polarised, yet some prefer to maintain good relations with all parties for long term benefits.

KK Surveys, which predicted the Andhra Pradesh Assembly results accurately, released a pre-poll survey showing a BRS win. But they were wrong in states like Delhi and Haryana. They also did not release an exit poll for Jubilee Hills.

Most of the smaller agencies are predicting a Congress win. However, BRS supporters argue that exit polls work better for entire states and not for single constituencies. They say single-seat predictions have a high margin of error, especially in a close contest.

They still remain hopeful. But the body language of BRS leaders, including their candidate Maganti Sunitha, does not look promising. Many see this as another negative sign for the party.