Fact Check: Viral exit poll results for Andhra Pradesh are fake, ECI has prohibited exit polls till June 1
NewsMeter found both the exit polls are fake.
By Md Mahfooz Alam Published on 15 May 2024 3:57 PM GMT
The fake exit polls predicting NDA and YSRCP victory.
Claim: This News Minute postcard shows the exit poll results for the 2024 Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections conducted by different media organisations.
Fact: Neither News Minute nor any other organisation mentioned in the list have released the exit poll results. ECI has prohibited the publication of exit polls from April 19 to June 1.
Andhra Pradesh was included in the fourth phase of the general elections, where the electorate simultaneously participated in the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls. The voters of Andhra Pradesh exercised their franchise for the 175 Assembly seats and 25 Lok Sabha seats on May 13.
Now, exit polls for the assembly elections by different poll agencies giving the majority to either the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) or incumbent Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) are making the rounds on social media. Both the exit poll results have been compiled in a postcard with the logo of The News Minute.
An X premium user, Swathi Reddy, shared (Archive) the exit poll suggesting the majority for NDA with the hashtag #ByeByeJaga.
Fact Check
NewsMeter found both the exit polls are fake.
We could not find exit poll results published by any of the agencies listed in the viral postcard. Today’s Chanakya took to the X clarifying that they did not release poll numbers for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and that numbers doing the rounds in their name are fake.
We also came across a clarification by The News Minute posted on May 15. It read, “This is to clarify that an old image from our story written in 2019 has been shared falsely claiming that we have made a prediction for the Andhra Pradesh Assembly election. It is to be noted that as per the Model Code of Conduct, no agency/news organisation can share any figures/opinion polls/ exit polls until the conclusion of the elections, which is still underway in other parts of the country.
Dhanya Rajendran, Editor-in-chief of The News Minute, commenting on Swathi Reddy's post said they have not published the viral graphic. She also mentioned that no exit poll numbers have been released.
We also came across reports by The Hindu and The Times of India from March 2024, which state that the Election Commission has banned the conduct, publication or publicising of exit polls between 7.00 am on April 19 and 6.30 pm of June 1 when votes will be cast for the Lok Sabha and four state Assembly polls.
Hence, we conclude neither poll agencies nor news organisations have published exit polls for the Andhra Pradesh assembly elections conducted on May 13. The viral exit polls are fake.
