Net citizens get results right

By M. Gautham Machaiah

As usual, most psephologists were way off the mark while predicting the results of the Karnataka assembly elections, but netizens with their ears to the ground seem to have got the numbers right.

A poll carried on this blog in the run up to the elections, clearly indicated that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would romp home to power. The poll question was, ‘Who will win the Karnataka elections?’

While 55 per cent voted in favour of the BJP, 27 per cent felt the Congress would emerge victorious. Nobody voted for the Janata Dal (S), while 18 per cent felt the results would throw up a hung assembly.

The election results have vindicated the stand of the netizens, with the BJP emerging as the single largest party bagging 110 seats, followed by the Congress with 80 seats, JDS with 28 seats and independents with six.

It is perhaps high time psephologists got their act right!

Picture sourced from: chickmagalur.nic.in/htmls/about_chickmagalur.htm

COMMENTS

Predicting election results are not easy because of the large number of variables involved. Even the best of the scientific surveys in the US have gone wrong!

-Pradeep, Dubai

Those psephologists assess the mood of the people with a coloured glass can never be accurate. The CNN-IBN post poll and exit poll survey gave 70 seats to BJP which proved terribly wrong. This was not the first time that they have erred. Even during the Gujarat polls they were off the mark by a huge margin. Yet they do not stop this kind of biased and misleading surveys to please those whom they are working for. Electronic media is losing its credibility. The sooner they realise this, the better for their TRP rating.

-S. Prakash, BJP

By and large there was a feeling among the observers of State politics, that this time BJP is bound to make it either on its own or with the support of a few MLAs from outside. It appears they have got it right. You may refer to my reaction of BJP coming to power, for your piece on the CM candidate of Congress.Probably a few media exit polls were over enthusiastic to predict that the Congress would win. Time and again they have proved themselves wrong.

-Manohar Yadavatti, Bangalore