Pradip Bhandari ji, Hearty welcome to HMP News! & Thank you for giving your valuable time
1. Congratulations for your accurate predictions. But some say, Axis/5forty3 were more accurate than your predictions.
Accuracy should be judged in a comprehensive manner. When no one in India was believing NDA can come in majority, when no opinion poll gave 300 plus the only opinion with a a sample of 5 Lakh surveyed in each constituency which gave BJP majority and NDA 300 plus was jankibaat. This was the trend did trend change after that. Did anyone before 2019 counting said bjp will sweep Bengal? Can pollsters without looking at excel name seat wise logic and not be faceless? Doing a poll on Twitter may not akin do doing it on TV, or digitally where we tell reason logic of each seat not being faceless. This is why the jankibaat poll was most trended both pre and post. In exit also go speak to close doors, and people you will find which analysis which poll still has reached masses.
2. Why you able to predict more accurately & much before than other pollsters?
We are the only company which has an indigenous prediction model which is grounded, where people travel on the ground and don’t give reasons on the basis of hearsay conversations. We have even predicted bypoll with seat margins accurately. Look at kairana Bawana. Do you know any other pollster or commentator Led team which has the proud track record of traveling on the ground in elections? We have today built a network of 1500 verified citizen reporters across the country through which we have predicted 14/15 elections accurately.
Also, I want to ask people, if election or political analysis could have been easily done on Twitter, or in 10 km of Lutyens Delhi why would have our leaders sweat out in massive all India travel? India is a diverse country with 100 variations from one constituency to other- those judging politics without having ground understanding may be in a dangerous territory.
There is nothing like more or less accuracy. Accuracy is accuracy.
3. Challenges faced by you in your work?
Challenge was to tell the analysis of each seat, not just throw a broad number
4. Many ‘Liberals’ like Yogendra Yadav had mocked you at that time. Your comment on it
I don’t consider him a serious observer of Indian politics anymore. I have observed his concepts, I humbly did not find a relation to any of the real factors on the ground. I debated with him on ndtv last time, post which he has not debated in any face- off. I also wonder how can someone give so much of sermons when his track record has been mostly inaccurate. Do you remember any recent election he spotted correctly?
5. Psephologists like 5forty3 Praveen Patil uses Micro Analytical Projections (INTELLIGENCE) i.e India’s first real-time ground intelligence whereas you yourself reach out to people, don’t you think your method however much realistic but has small sample base?
we had a sample of 10 Lakh. Even today I can tell you all 500 plus constituency without looking at any excel, or speaking any jargon. My team can speak on the seat they have worked. In fact observe the whole market started talking about seat by seat analysis after we started giving it on air, and on digital. Have u seen any other pollster or political commentator go on the field and give regular consistent data-driven scientific feedback? Our methods have widest sample base. In fact, look at our history we started talking of a sample of more than 1 lakh when people used to talk about 1000, 2000.
6. You predicted 300+ for NDA before Balakot Air Strikes, but your numbers during exit polls were a little conservative. Any reasons?
Nothing conservative. We wanted to focus on the correct trend. There were seats which were decided in 10k votes, 15k votes. We don’t guess, so kept window in these seats, and we don’t apply the strategy of extreme. we focus on the accurate trend in numbers. For example, can anyone tell you why Puri was lost by only 10k votes? Can anyone tell you why Rohtak was won this time? Or say why Machalishahar was won by 600 votes? This is the level of in-depth analysis we focus on.
We are not competing with anyone we are serving the Indian viewer honestly.
7. What’s your plan for upcoming elections?
Wait for the possible global announcement
8. Don’t you think despite giving very accurate exit polls you were not covered by many mainstream media? Do you think that you need more marketing?
I am extremely happy that we were the opinion polls and exit poll that was on the highest trend digitally, on TV we were viewed maximum. Come with me on travel and people will recognize -” oh you gave Jan Ki Baat poll, awesome work”
Next, I want to tell u that we need to not overemphasize on exit poll. An exit poll is posted facto, opinion is pre facto. Getting the correct trend pre facto is the biggest challenge. The exit is big TRP, but opinion is more instrumental as it can help people know before the trend before elections. Important stake holders can course correct looking at the opinion poll.
9. You are just 27 and have become a popular pollster what’s your advice for young entrepreneurs?
Just work, and work selflessly with 100% commitment passion.
