With the final phase of the West Bengal Assembly Elections ending Wednesday, attention now shifts to exit poll projections which are expected to be released after 6.30 p.m in keeping with Election Commission of India (ECI) guidelines. Exit polls are a popular method to gauge voter sentiment after polling and provide trends into who might win an election. Media channels and poll pundits carry out these surveys on polling dates. However, exit polls are only a primary indicator and not always accurate. In several instances, their projections have differed significantly from actual election results.
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While exit polls set the tone for counting days and build anticipation, they are tightly regulated by the ECI, which stipulates that they can be published only after the polling process concludes in all constituencies across states where simultaneous elections are being held.
Since West Bengal has its final phase of voting today, the exit polls for all election-bound states will be released later in the evening.
Election Overview
On Wednesday, voters in Bengal will be electiing 142 MLAs across the state's political heartland. Polling for the first phase was held on April 23 across 152 assembly segments in 16 districts. BJP is trying oust Mamata Banerjee's rule amid a controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Tamil Nadu also went to polls in a single phase across its 234 seats on April 23. Actor-turned politician Vijay is hoping to reshape state politics by presenting his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party as an alternative to DMK and AIADMK.
In Assam, elections to the 126-member Assembly was held on April 9, where the Biswa Sarma-led BJP government hopes to return to power.
On April 9, Kerala voted for all 140 Assembly constituencies as LDF and UDF tussle to come to power. Puducherry also went to polls on the same day. Counting of votes for all these states will take place on May 4.
Exit Polls 2026: Date, Time
According to the poll panel's rules, exit polls can only be released after 6:30 p.m., 30 minutes after voting ends on Wednesday. Media houses and pollsters will publish their surveys for all election-bound states, trying to analyse voting patterns and possible outcomes.
Exit Polls 2026: Where To Watch And Live Streaming Details
Viewers can watch the exit polls for all these election-bound states by staying tuned to the social media handles and website of NDTV Profit. Viewers can track updates and result projections from leading pollsters and analytical insights about the high-stake elections.
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