Fact Check: Jan Ki Baat did not release any exit poll for 2024 Odisha elections

As the democratic process continues across India, Odisha is preparing for the seventh phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. This phase is very important for the state's political future. As it is the final phase for Odisha, people are eagerly awaiting the exit polls of the elections. Meanwhile, a TV channel in Odisha aired an exit poll claiming to be from Jan Ki Baat.

In the exit poll, the ruling party BJD is predicted to win 100 to 110 seats, BJP gets 20 to 30 seats, Congress is predicted to win 10 to 20 seats, and others might get 0 to 10 seats.

Jan Ki Baat, a digital media service provider specializing in political stories and election predictions through opinion and exit polls, released a statement saying they have not published any exit polls for the 2024 Odisha Assembly elections and have no connection with the figures presented by the TV channel.

Users from social media, including political leaders, shared the exit poll clip by giving their opinion.

A user named Akshya Pradhan is questioning how a TV channel is showing Jan Ki Baat's exit polls for the 2024-25 Odisha election.

Bhubaneswar Khaber, a digital media outlet, shared a screenshot of the exit poll with the caption, "How did Jan Ki Baat predict the exit poll when it was banned?"

BJP Odisha spokesperson Anil Biswal shared the clip and posted his statement. Anil Biswal wrote, "Jan Ki Baat, please see, is this your exit poll report? They are broadcasting it under your name." Additionally, Shri Biswal mentioned that "This channel is completely violating the Model Code of Conduct, and he requests the Election Commission of India to take necessary action."

Fact Check: The claim is misleading; Jan Ki Baat did not publish any exit polls for the 2024 Odisha Assembly Elections.

During our search, we found that Jan Ki Baat posted a statement on their social media handle declaring that they have not released any exit polls for the 2024 Odisha Assembly Elections.

We also found that Pradeep Bhandari, the founder of Jan Ki Baat, shared a video message. In the video, he clarifies that Jan Ki Baat did not release any exit polls for the 2024 Odisha Assembly elections and has no connection with the figures presented in the circulated video.

Upon further investigation, we found that the regional channel which telecast the exit poll posted a statement on their social media: "A graphic plate intended for internal testing, containing dummy data, was accidentally broadcast due to a technical glitch. This occurred unintentionally and was promptly taken off the air."

We got the letter where ECI directed the CEO Odisha to submit a report on the matter.

 Money Control also published an article with headlines “EC orders action against TV channel for showing exit polls in Odisha: Sources

Hence, it is clear that the claim is misleading. Jan Ki Baat did not release exit polls for the 2024 Odisha Assembly elections.