Who is Pradeep Gupta? Axis My India MD who famously broke down on live TV during 2024 exit polls

Exit polls for Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam and Puducherry were released on Wednesday evening, with several agencies projecting close contests and clear leads in different regions.Pradeep Gupta, who appeared on India Today’s live coverage of the election results, wept, prompting the anchors to console him on air during the panel discussion. (AI generated image)The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is headed for a horic victory in West Bengal and a third consecutive term in Assam. The Congress-led United Democratic Front is set to win power in Kerala, and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) might beat anti-incumbency and retain Tamil Nadu, a clutch of exit polls predicted.Also read | Close fight in Bengal, BJP sweep in Assam; Kerala could see UDF comebackAmong the prominent pollsters, Axis My India once again drew attention to its projections after the 2024 viral moment where its MD, Pradeep Gupta, broke down on live TV.Watch video from 2024 exit polls here:The agency once again came into the spotlight after its projection for the West Bengal Assembly election did not come out. According to the organisation’s founder, Pradeep Gupta, voters were choosing to stay silent about whom they voted for.”See, the method of Axis My India is talking to people face to face. And when we tried to talk after the first phase, about 60–70 per cent of the people had their lips sealed. They were not even ready to say yes or no,” Gupta told NDTV.Who is Pradeep Gupta?Pradeep Gupta is an Indian entrepreneur and data intelligence expert known for his work in understanding public opinion and voter behaviour. With more than 27 years of experience, his career spans engineering, behavioural insights and business strategy, bringing together technical knowledge and a deep understanding of people, according to his LinkedIn profile.Also read | Axis My India won’t release exit poll results for West Bengal elections, says Pradeep GuptaHe is the Chairman and Managing Director of Axis My India, a firm widely recognised for its work in consumer data and election surveys. Under his leadership, the company has built a strong reputation for accuracy in exit polls. Its research approach has even been studied as a case at Harvard Business School, highlighting its methodology and impact.Gupta is also known for his contribution to large-scale data-driven insights in India. Since 2013, his organisation has successfully predicted a significant number of election outcomes through exit polls, strengthening its credibility in the field of psephology.Beyond polling, he has been involved in innovation in mass communication, including efforts to personalise media outreach. He is also an author, having written books such as How India Votes and What It Means, which explore India’s democratic processes and social dynamics.What happened in 2024 exit polls?Gupta broke down on live TV as the results for the Lok Sabha elections 2024 trickled in, upending the exit poll predictions his agency. The incumbent BJP performed below par and seemed to fall short of exit poll predictions and the majority mark on its own.Also read | First exit polls out: Bengal remains a tight race, DMK firm in Tamil NaduPradeep Gupta, who appeared on India Today’s live coverage of the election results, wept, prompting the anchors to console him on air during the panel discussion in 2024. According to India Today-Axis My India exit polls, the NDA was predicted to win 361–401 seats in the Lok Sabha polls. The INDIA bloc was expected to win 131–166 seats, and 8 to 20 seats were projected for other parties, earlier HT reported.The video from the incident has been circulating on social media platform X since yesterday evening.