Guwahati, May 2 (IANS) Leader of the Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly Debabrata Saikia on Saturday expressed doubts over the reliability of exit polls forecasting the outcome of the Assembly elections, saying such projections have often failed to reflect the final mandate of voters.

Speaking to reporters here, Saikia, who is also the Indian National Congress candidate from the Nazira Assembly constituency, said he does not place much faith in exit poll predictions, citing previous elections where estimates were proven wrong once actual counting took place.

Referring to the West Bengal Assembly elections, Saikia said several surveys had forecast a decisive victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), but the final results turned out very differently.

He said such examples show that pre-result projections cannot always capture the true mood of the electorate.

The senior Congress leader claimed that the political atmosphere in Assam this time appears significantly different from previous elections. According to him, many voters chose to remain guarded about their preferences during polling, making it difficult for agencies to accurately assess public sentiment through post-vote surveys.

Saikia said the silence among a section of voters could indicate an undercurrent in favour of political change in the state. He suggested that people dissatisfied with the present administration may have preferred to keep their decisions private rather than openly discuss them in public.

He further alleged that some voters were hesitant to reveal their choices due to fear of possible backlash from local BJP workers.

Saikia also claimed that issues such as alleged misgovernance, public resentment and anti-incumbency sentiment could weigh heavily on the ruling party when votes are counted.

Maintaining confidence in his party’s prospects, Saikia said the eventual verdict would depend largely on the role of “silent voters”, whose choices, he added, often remain hidden until counting day.

He said the final outcome may therefore differ substantially from the trends suggested by exit polls.

–IANS

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