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Tejashwi Yadav rejects Bihar exit poll projections, says numbers released during voting
Tejashwi said that the Mahagathbandhan had collected feedback from people after they had cast their votes, claiming that they had received a positive response.
RJD leader and Mahagathbandhan chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday dismissed the exit poll projections for the Bihar assembly elections, most of which gave a clear edge to the NDA and many pollsters predicted that the Mahagathbandhan would not form the government. He said he neither lives in false optimism nor in misunderstanding.
Addressing a press conference in Patna, Yadav claimed that even while people were still standing in queues waiting for their turn to vote, and the polling process had not yet ended, exit polls were already being released, predicting the BJP-JD(U) alliance’s victory in the assembly elections.
Follow Bihar exit polls live updates here.
“Yesterday, people stood in long queues during voting, even until six or seven in the evening. People patiently waited to cast their votes. And while voting was still underway, exit polls began to emerge. We neither live in false optimism nor in misunderstanding. These surveys are brought out merely to create a psychological impact, to put pressure on the officials involved in the election process,” he said.
The RJD leader also questioned the sample size and criteria of the surveys, which he said had not even been made public. “If you ask any of those showing these surveys about the sample size, none of them can tell you. Neither the sample size nor the criteria of the survey have been made public,” he said.
‘Mahagathbandhan collected feedback’
Tejashwi said that the Mahagathbandhan had collected feedback from people after they had cast their votes, claiming that they had received a positive response and that change was on the way.
“After the election ended, we collected feedback from people, and the information we received has been extremely positive. In the past, such positive feedback never used to come. You can say that the feedback we received this time is even better than what we got during the 1995 elections,” he said.
The RJD leader added, “Everyone has voted in large numbers against this government, and this time, change is definitely going to happen. I had already said that the results will come on the 14th, and the oath ceremony will be held on the 18th.”
Bihar election exit polls 2025
Dainik Bhaskar projected 145-160 seats for the NDA, 73-91 for the Mahagathbandhan and 0-3 for the Jan Suraaj. The Matrize Exit Poll forecast the NDA likely winning 147-167 seats, the Mahagathbandhan 70-90, and the Jan Suraaj between 0-2 seats.
The People's Pulse gave 133-159 seats to the NDA, 75-101 to the Mahagathbandhan and 0-5 to Prashant Kishore's Jan Suraaj party.
Exit poll projections are made by election survey agencies based on surveys of sample groups spread across constituencies in the state. The agencies interview voters as they leave polling stations after casting their votes.
However, exit polls do not always reflect the actual election results, and several instances in the past have proved them wrong.
The counting of votes will take place on Friday (November 14).
