With the 'exit' (opinion) polls predicting a BJP landslide in Jharkhand and a 'Hung Assembly' in J&K, the focus has once again shifted to the efficacy of opinion polls and whether they are a true necessity for society.
Opinion polls can at best be termed as a fruitful exercise indulged in by the fourth estate and various other related bodies, solely with ulterior motives, primary among those being the lucrative payoffs resulting from the favored party (on majority of the occasions, the opinion polls are sponsored by one Party or the other) and then with the intention of manipulating public opinion in favor of a particular Party.
How can they manipulate public opinion, one might ask?
On the eve of any major election, the majority of the populace rarely has made up their mind on which Party to back. Yet, they do not want to be seen as backing a loser, in other words, they don’t want their vote to go waste.
Hence, when the results of the opinion poll are announced, the undecided voter who comprises the majority jumps on the bandwagon of the Party predicted to emerge winner.
So, it is not surprising to see political parties commissioning media bodies and private firms to undertake such exercises with a pre-determined mandate.
But if each party can commission its own poll findings, then the battleground would be level, would it not? Not exactly! Trumpeting on the findings of the polls is again another unique promotional strategy which is the sole responsibility of the Party now.
It is now the Party’s responsibility to grill these findings into the common man or the undecided voter. And then, large mutual fund houses and brokerage houses have always used these opinion polls as a tool to make the markets swing in their preferred direction.
Consider the unhealthy impact on the economy created by these opinion polls. The people who conduct these polls argue that they have been proved to be correct on most occasions! But that is merely a vindication of the inherent manipulative characteristic of this instrument.
Also, there is no universally acceptable statistical model for conducting these polls! Taking the opinion of a few hundreds or thousands with faulty statistical techniques or prejudiced or unreliable questionnaires which have no uniformity and then passing off the findings as the general mood of the majority or the country is the most ridiculous kind of sham being perpetrated on the Indian public.
And then again, why is there a need for opinion polls? With the election in most cases, only a month, a couple of months or at the most a year away, why is there the hurry to predict the outcome? Is it just insatiable curiosity taking over? Highly unlikely!
Vested interests are more likely the answer. To sum it up, the average human mind is easily manipulated or conditioned and ‘opinion polls’ is just another manipulative or conditioning instrument to gain results along pre-determined lines.
There is absolutely no justification or vindication of these exercises unless it is to improve or decrease the odds for gamblers during election time.
Thanks to these opinion polls, the nation loses out at the expense of the media houses, PR firms and research organizations. But the latter continue their charade in the name of ‘freedom of expression’ and that’s where the irony of it all lies!
The so-called custodians of democracy using it as a tool to manipulate and thereby deny people, the very freedom inherent in our constitution, the freedom of choice: to think for oneself and vote accordingly. Hail Goebbels!
Written By Sridhar
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