Real Arnab Goswami and his cheap version both face condemnation after opinion/exit poll predictions proved horribly wrong

A TV anchor working for Mukesh Ambani-owned channel has been facing incessant social media roasting on Twitterati after opinion/Exit polls on the just-concluded assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana went horribly wrong. Amish Devgan, often dubbed as poor man’s Arnab Goswami, too had flaunted his TV channel’s exit poll predictions giving the BJP 75 out of 90 seats in Haryana and 243 for BJP-Shiv Sena combine out of 288 in Maharashtra. In reality, the BJP got 40 seats, five less than the required majority and 35 less than what the poor man’s Arnab Goswami had predicted on his channel, in Haryana. As for Maharashtra, the final tally of the BJP-Shiv Sena combine in Maharashtra stood at 161, 27 less than what the alliance had won in 2014 and 82 less than what Devgan had wished for them.

Devgan or the cheap version of Arnab Goswami wasn’t alone in getting the opinion/exit polls, often dubbed by critics as a propaganda exercise to benefit the BJP. Yashwant Deshmukh, whose CVoter made even more astonishing claims in favour of the BJP for the ABP News channel, has was quick to apologise for predicting 83 out of 90 seats for the BJP in Haryana. He wrote on Twitter, “With a lot of egg on the face. Which is humbling indeed. Will continue my effort to convert into a survey agency. Again.”

This was after several social media users including Supreme Court lawyer took to Twitter to mock Deshmukh’s predictions.

Yashwant, you run a survey agency or a gas agency? https://t.co/eGQvLbCALE pic.twitter.com/qHNliGcreJ

— Srivatsa (@srivatsayb) October 24, 2019

So now we know that C-Voter run by Deshmukh is a bogus polling agency. They predicted 83 for BJP & 3 for Cong in Haryana! But actually they are neck & neck! pic.twitter.com/jnOIsIFOw4

— Prashant Bhushan (@pbhushan1) October 24, 2019

One of the worst aspects of the BJP rule has been the prominence enjoyed by utter jokers like Yashwant Deshmukh and Anil Bokil. Bloody ironical for a party that claims to make India Vishwaguru. https://t.co/FVDBJMka9U

— Ritwik Agrawal (@ritwik_agrawal) October 24, 2019

Undoubtedly the real losers in today’s results… the election experts / the news anchors…. Vermins who are hollowing out the once noble profession of journalism.
Make no mistake….the time of these news cheerleaders is up. pic.twitter.com/kaY2d4Lg2X

— Akash Banerjee (@TheDeshBhakt) October 24, 2019

Deshmukh also urged Twitterati to not troll Sumit Awasthi of ABP News since the latter’s channel, ABP News, had used his predictions.

अरे भाई अब आप लोग @awasthis जी को ट्रोल करना बंद कीजिए । जो गरियाना है मुझे गरियाईये। अवस्थी जी भले आदमी है…मेरा ननिहाल भी अवस्थीओं का ही है लेकिन इसका मतलब यह नहीं है कि मेरे हिस्से की गालियां भी वही खाएं.. ?? https://t.co/XHi9nY6jlf

— Yashwant Deshmukh ?? (@YRDeshmukh) October 25, 2019

This was after Awasthi faced incessant trolling for allegedly using a fake opinion poll in a bid to help the BJP. Awasthi, for his part, defended his channel by holding Deshmukh’s C-Voter responsible for the false predictions.

सर, ये पोल #सी_वोटर की थी.. मैंने अपने ट्विट में उसी दिन साफ साफ लिखा भी है और टैग भी किया है @CvoterIndia को! @YRDeshmukh ने बाकयदा @ABPNews पर आकर #OpinionPoll और फिर बाद में #ExitPoll वाले दिन भी समझाया था कि ये आंकड़ें क्यों #बीजेपी के पक्ष में आये हैं!मगर ये नंबर गलत निकले! https://t.co/MzEGwO8Ya3

— Sumit Awasthi (@awasthis) October 24, 2019

However, not all were convinced as they dug out his old tweets claiming that the opinion polls were by not just C-Voter but also ABP News.

Another person, who stopped short of apologising for making horribly wrong predictions was Pradeep Bhandari of Jan Ki Baat. Bhandari had made poll predictions for Arnab Goswami’s Republic TV. According to him, BJP was set to win 52-63 seats in Haryana, while the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance was set to win 216- 230 seats in Maharashtra.

He wrote on Twitter after the results:

Dear all
Thanku so much for believing in me and my team @jankibaat1. I am extremely happy with the work on the ground. I am thankful 2those who are criticising us. We should have read the low voting percentage better. We will work harder. Big Congratulations 2 @PradeepGuptaAMI

— Pradeep Bhandari(प्रदीप भंडारी) (@pradip103) October 24, 2019

Indian Youth Congress took to Twitter to target ‘Modi Bhakt’ Amish Devgan and advised someone to get him admitted in a mental asylum in Agra in Uttar Pradesh.

@TheDeshBhakt भाई@AMISHDEVGAN जी को आगरा ले जाओ

चुनाव नतीजों को देखकर कही ये मोदी भक्त #GodiMedia पागल न हो जाये

देखों तो कैसे कूद कूद कर EXIT POLL बता रहा था #मोदी_परत_जा #GoBackModi #भाजपा_छोड़ो_हरियाणा @RahulGandhi @priyankagandhi @IYC @INCIndia @INCHaryana @Haryana_YC https://t.co/jJ7GomqQbW

— IYC Telangana (@IYCTelangana) October 24, 2019

Devgan reacted angrily and asked if the person managing the Twitter handle of the IYC was in Agra himself.

मुझे आगरा जाने की सलाह दे रहें हैं जनाब पर खुद आगरा में ही हो क्या …… https://t.co/PEug0EVqWL

— Amish Devgan (@AMISHDEVGAN) October 24, 2019

Apologies or no apologies, the results of Haraya and Maharashtra assembly polls have once again brought into lighy the questionable methology of India’s so-called pollster fraternity.