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By:

Yogesh Kumar Goyal

19 April 2026 at 12:32:19 pm

The Exit Poll Mirage

While exit polls sketch a dramatic map of India’s electoral mood, the line between projection and verdict remains perilously thin. With the ballots across five politically pivotal arenas of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala and Puducherry falling silent until the results are announced on May 4, poll surveyors have filled the vacuum with exit poll numbers that excite, alarm and often mislead. These projections have already begun shaping narratives well before D-Day on May 4. If India’s...

The Exit Poll Mirage

While exit polls sketch a dramatic map of India’s electoral mood, the line between projection and verdict remains perilously thin. With the ballots across five politically pivotal arenas of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala and Puducherry falling silent until the results are announced on May 4, poll surveyors have filled the vacuum with exit poll numbers that excite, alarm and often mislead. These projections have already begun shaping narratives well before D-Day on May 4. If India’s electoral history offers any lesson, it is that exit polls illuminate trends, not truths. Bengal’s Brinkmanship Nowhere is the drama more intense than in West Bengal, arguably the most keenly watched contest among all five arenas. The contest for its 294 seats has long transcended the state’s borders, becoming a proxy for national ambition. Most exit polls now point to a striking possibility of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) majority, in some cases a commanding one. Such an outcome would mark a political earthquake. For decades, Bengal has resisted the BJP’s advances, its politics shaped instead by regional forces - first the Left Front, then Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC). Yet the arithmetic of the polls suggests that the BJP’s campaign built on organisational muscle and the promise of ‘parivartan’ (change) may have finally breached that wall. The TMC, meanwhile, appears to be grappling with anti-incumbency and persistent allegations of corruption. Still, one outlier poll suggests it could yet retain power, a reminder that Bengal’s electorate has a habit of confounding linear predictions. Here, more than anywhere else, the gap between projection and reality may prove widest. Steady Script If Bengal is volatile, the Assam outcome looks fairly settled. Across agencies, there is near unanimity that the BJP-led alliance is poised not just to retain power, but to do so comfortably. With the majority mark at 64 in the 126-member assembly, most estimates place the ruling coalition well above that threshold, in some cases approaching triple digits. The opposition Congress alliance, by contrast, appears stranded far behind. Under Himanta Biswa Sarma, the BJP has fused development rhetoric with a keen sense of identity politics, crafting a coalition that has proved resilient. A third consecutive term would underline the party’s deepening institutional hold over the state. Kerala, by contrast, may be returning to its old rhythm. For decades, the state has alternated power between the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) with metronomic regularity. The LDF broke that pattern in the last election, securing an unprecedented second term. Exit polls now suggest that experiment may be short-lived. Most projections place the UDF comfortably above the 71-seat majority mark in the 140-member assembly, with the LDF trailing significantly. If borne out, this would reaffirm Kerala’s instinctive resistance to prolonged incumbency. Governance records matter here, but so does a deeply ingrained political culture that treats alternation as a form of accountability. Familiar Duel? Tamil Nadu, long dominated by its Dravidian titans, shows little appetite for disruption as per most exit polls, which place M.K. Stalin’s DMK-led alliance above the halfway mark of 118 in the 234-seat assembly. Yet, some sections have suggested a possible upset could be staged by actor Vijay’s TVK, the wildcard in the Tamil Nadu battle. Most polls, however, are clear that the opposition AIADMK alliance, though competitive, seems unlikely to unseat the incumbent DMK. In Puducherry, the smallest of the five contests, the implications may nonetheless be outsized. Exit polls give the BJP-led alliance a clear majority in the 30-seat assembly, relegating the Congress-led bloc to a distant second. Numerically modest, the result would carry symbolic weight. A victory here would further entrench the BJP’s presence in the south, a region where it has historically struggled to gain ground. For all their allure, exit polls are imperfect instruments. They rest on limited samples, extrapolated across vast and diverse electorates. In a country where millions vote, the opinions of a few thousand can only approximate reality and often fail to capture its nuances. There is also the problem of the ‘silent voter’ - individuals who either conceal their preferences or shift them late. Recent elections have offered ample reminders. In states such as Haryana and Jharkhand, and even in Maharashtra where margins were misjudged, exit polls have erred, and sometimes dramatically sp. Moreover, the modern exit poll is as much a media event as a methodological exercise. Packaged with graphics, debates and breathless commentary, it fills the void between voting and counting with a sense of immediacy that may be more theatrical than analytical. That said, to dismiss them entirely would be too easy. Exit polls do serve a purpose in sketching broad contours, highlighting regional variations and offering clues about voter sentiment. For political parties, they are early signals and act as tentative guides for observers. Taken together, this cycle’s exit polls suggest a broad, if tentative, pattern of the BJP consolidating in the east and north-east, and opposition alliances regaining ground in parts of the south, and continuity prevailing in key states. But patterns are not outcomes and only counted votes confer legitimacy. It is only on May 4 when the sealed electronic voting machines will deliver that clarity. They will determine whether Bengal witnesses a political rupture or a resilient incumbent, whether Assam’s stability holds, whether Kerala’s pendulum swings back, and whether Tamil Nadu stays its course. (The writer is a senior journalist and political analyst. Views personel.)

From Body to Bliss: Essential Yogic Principles to Know

Not mere exercise, yoga is much more than posture – it is the art of aligning the body with the soul.

Yoga is not just a fitness routine or a set of postures. It is a complete science of living – connecting body, breath, mind, intellect, and spirit. Rooted in the wisdom of the Vedas and codified by Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras, yoga offers practical tools for harmony in daily life. To practise yoga meaningfully, it is vital to understand its core foundations. Let’s explore five key concepts that shape the yogic path: Koshas, Prana & Nadis, Elements, Chakras, and the Gunas.


Five Sheaths (Pancha Kosha)

Human existence is described in the Taittiriya Upanishad as five layers, or koshas.

Annamaya (Physical): Nourished by food, made of the five elements. Balanced with asana, kriya, and pranayama.

Pranamaya (Energy): Governs life force and connects body with mind through breath.

Manomaya (Mental): Seat of emotions and thoughts. Balance here brings emotional stability.

Vijnanamaya (Wisdom): Intellect and higher knowledge. Sharpened by study, reflection, and meditation.

Anandamaya (Bliss): Pure joy, closest to the Self. Experienced in deep meditation.

Yoga is essentially a journey from the physical to the blissful sheath.


Prana and Nadis

Prana is the vital life force. It flows through subtle channels called nadis. Of the 72,000 nadis, three are central:

Ida (moon): Cooling, linked to the mind.

Pingala (sun): Heating, linked to action.

Sushumna: The central pathway, balancing both and leading to spiritual awakening.


Breath practices purify these nadis, allowing prana to flow freely. Modern science mirrors this wisdom—alternate nostril breathing, for instance, is shown to calm the nervous system and balance both hemispheres of the brain.


Five Elements (Pancha Mahabhutas)

The body and the universe are made of the same five elements – “Pindi te Brahmandi” (the microcosm reflects the macrocosm).

Earth (Prithvi): Bones, muscles – grounding.

Water (Jal): Blood, fluids – flow and flexibility.

Fire (Agni): Digestion, energy transformation.

Air (Vayu): Breath, circulation – movement.

Space (Akasha): Sound, communication – vastness.


Balancing these through yoga brings health, stability, and cosmic harmony.


Chakras (Shat Chakra)

Seven energy centres line the spine, each with a seed sound (bija mantra) and unique qualities:

Muladhara (Root): Stability. Lam.

Swadhisthana (Sacral): Creativity. Vam.

Manipura (Solar Plexus): Willpower. Ram.

Anahata (Heart): Love. Yam.

Vishuddhi (Throat): Expression. Ham.

Ajna (Third Eye): Intuition. Om.

Sahasrara (Crown): Higher consciousness. Silence/Om.


Kundalini energy, coiled at the root like a serpent, rises upward through these chakras, awakening higher states of awareness. Each chakra not only supports spiritual growth but also reflects emotional health and personal expression.


Three Gunas

All of nature is guided by three qualities:

Sattva: Purity, clarity, wisdom.

Rajas: Energy, drive, restlessness.

Tamas: Inertia, ignorance, heaviness.


Through yoga, sattva is cultivated, leading to balance, calmness, and clarity. Even food and lifestyle choices affect the gunas—fresh, light meals increase sattva, while overstimulation or lethargy fuels rajas and tamas.


Yoga is far more than physical exercise. It is the art of aligning the microcosm within with the macrocosm outside. By understanding its core concepts – the koshas, prana, elements, chakras, and gunas – yoga becomes a tool for inner transformation. When practised with awareness, yoga not only changes how the body feels – it reshapes how life itself is experienced, helping practitioners live with greater balance, resilience, and joy.

(The writer is a yoga educator and researcher based in Pune.)

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