As the 2026 exit polls near, a retrospective analysis of the 2021 assembly elections in India highlights the shortcomings of major polling agencies. In West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) won 215 seats, far exceeding predictions from agencies like Axis My India and Jan Ki Baat, which projected TMC's range between 130-156 seats. Similarly, in Kerala, C-Voter's projections were notably off, as it underestimated the Left Democratic Front (LDF), which won 99 seats, while projecting a range of 71-77. In contrast, Axis My India correctly identified the LDF's victory but overestimated its seat count by 10-20. Tamil Nadu saw all pollsters predict a win for the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), but they overestimated the seat count, as the DMK-led alliance secured 159 seats. In Assam, Axis My India accurately predicted the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would win 75 seats, matching the actual outcome. In Puducherry, both Axis My India and C-Voter overestimated the NDA's seat count, projecting 20-24 and 19-23 seats respectively, while the NDA formed the government with only 16 seats. Overall, while agencies showed directional accuracy in their predictions, the 2021 elections underscored the limitations of exit polls in India, particularly in terms of precise seat counts.