Exit polls close the gap with ads

Skybus ads across newspapers in Assam by major political parties raise serious questions about the business of polling

After the first phase of poll in Assam, a number of newspapers carried a skybus ad — an eight-column advertisement below the masthead of a newspaper — of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that read like a banner headline: “BJP to win all constituencies of Upper Assam”. Interestingly, although the Congress Party approached the Election Commission complaining about the deceptive advertisement, it eventually responded in a similar fashion.  

Just two days later, a similar skybus ad was published in a number of newspapers in the state: “Congress wave across Assam”. In both cases, however, it was clearly indicated on the left