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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 Polypropylene to Polystyrene: Decoding Plastic Codes

Not all plastics are created equal—codes 5, 6 and 7 show why some materials recycle easily, while others pose serious challenges.

In the earlier parts of this series, we examined the first set of Resin Identification Codes. Let us now continue our exploration of the remaining codes and their uses.

 

Code no. 5

This code is assigned to products made from polypropylene (PP). It is a highly versatile polymer, widely known for its durability, chemical resistance, and light weight. Polypropylene is commonly used in food containers and textiles, as well as in automotive parts and medical devices. When exposed to high temperatures, it melts rather than burns; hence, it is classified as a thermoplastic.


PP is easily mouldable and recyclable, and it offers an excellent strength-to-weight ratio. These properties make it an ideal raw material across many industries. In fact, it is the most commonly used thermoplastic in the world. It is extensively used in medical devices such as syringes, medical vials, petri dishes, pill containers, and specimen bottles.


Polypropylene is particularly well-suited to applications that require repeated bending and manipulation without breaking. Examples include hinges on medication pots, lids or caps on shampoo bottles, and various types of plastic bottles and containers. Beyond packaging, PP is also used to manufacture ropes, twine, tape, carpets, upholstery, clothing, and camping equipment. Its waterproof properties make it especially effective for use in the marine sector.


Although polypropylene is recyclable, there are certain limitations. Rigid items, such as containers and bottle caps, are easily accepted for recycling, whereas flexible films made from PP are more difficult to recycle.


Code no. 6

This code is assigned to products made from polystyrene (PS). Polystyrene is a hard and brittle plastic that may be transparent or opaque. It is available in three distinct forms, each used for different applications.


The first type is GPPS (General Purpose Polystyrene). This form is commonly used for disposable items such as cups, cutlery, and food trays. It is also used in rigid packaging, cosmetic boxes, toys, lighting diffusers, and laboratory ware.


The second type is High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS), which is modified to improve toughness and impact resistance. HIPS is widely used in packaging, retail displays, and signage, as well as in consumer electronics, including housings for televisions, computers, and toys. It also finds applications in automotive interiors, such as trims and panels.


The third type is Expanded Polystyrene (EPS). This form is hard and brittle yet extremely lightweight and is more commonly known as 'styrofoam' or 'thermocol'. EPS is generally used as moulded foam packaging for televisions, computers, household appliances, and other fragile goods. It is also commonly found in trays used for meat, fish, and similar products, as well as in egg cartons. In addition, EPS is used to make disposable items such as cups, plates, bowls, lids, and cutlery, and it is also used as an insulating liner in refrigerators and air conditioners.


Technically, polystyrene is 100% recyclable. However, because it is lightweight, bulky, and often contaminated with food residue, recycling it is not economically viable in many regions. The process requires specialised facilities and handling systems, which are not widely available.

 

Code no. 7

This code is assigned to plastics that do not fall under any of the six categories discussed earlier. It generally includes a broad group labelled as “other” plastics, such as polycarbonates (PC), acrylic, nylon, multilayered composite plastics used in sachets or pouches, and fibreglass composites used in automotive parts, industrial containers, and similar applications.


Polycarbonates are commonly used in products that require strength and impact resistance, such as safety goggles and reusable water bottles. Acrylic, also known as Plexiglas, has a wide range of applications and is frequently used in light fixtures, display units, and packaging windows. Nylon is valued for its strength and flexibility and is typically used in products such as toothbrush bristles, gears, and other mechanical components.


Because of their complex and mixed compositions, plastics classified under Code 7 are generally not recyclable.


Will continue in the next week. Till then, have a nice weekend!

 

(The author is an environmentalist. Views personal.)


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