- By Nidhi Giri
- Wed, 29 Apr 2026 02:33 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Exit Polls 2026: The voting for the final phase of the West Bengal elections 2026 began on Wednesday. Polling is underway in 142 seats, spread across South Bengal, with CM Mamata Banerjee facing BJP's Suvendu Adhikari in Bhabanipur. The voting will continue till 6 pm, after which, Exit poll predictions will be released by surveyors, including Axis My India, ABP C-Voter, among others. Besides Bengal, Exit poll predictions will also be released for Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala and Puducherry.
What Are Exit Polls?
- Observations for exit polls are done as soon as people come out after voting. People are usually asked about their age, gender and party they voted for to get estimates and understand voting patterns.
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- Exit polls are released ahead of the actual results announced by the Election Commission of India.
- Since exit polls are recorded on the voting day, they can tell the voter mood; however, exit polls often turn out wrong or incorrect. Sampling size is also an aspect that plays a role in exit poll predictions.
What are EC's guidelines for Exit Polls?
As per the Election Commission of India, media organisations cannot publish exit poll predictions from April 9 (7 am) to April 29 (6:30 pm). As per the poll body, breach during this time period will be "punishable with imprisonment up to a period of two years, or with fine or both".
When Will Exit Poll Predictions Be Released?
Exit poll predictions by surveyors like Axis My India, ABP C-Voter, Matrize, Today's Chanakya, Jan Ki Baat, are likely to be out after 6:30 pm on April 29.
Where Can People See Exit Polls
Agencies like Axis My India, CVoter, Jan Ki Baat, and Today’s Chanakya publish the exit polls online. People can see these predictions on news channels. Viewers can check the exit poll forecasts on television news channels and polling agency websites.
Assembly Elections 2026:
Four states and the Union Territory of Puducherry went to polls this month, with polling held in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in a single phase on April 9 and April 23. Polling in West Bengal was conducted in two phases on April 23 and April 29.
Bengal recorded a massive 93.2 per cent voter turnout in the first phase of the elections, a record-breaking figure that has both the TMC and the BJP claiming a decisive lead. Tamil Nadu also recorded its highest turnout ever at 85%.
The results for the Assembly elections in four states and one UT will be declared on May 4.