When will Exit Polls for Maharashtra, Jharkhand elections be out - check date, time, when and where to watch

Exit Polls 2024: All 288 assembly seats of Maharashtra will vote in single phase today, November 20. The second phase of Jharkhand assembly polls (38 seats) will also be held on Wednesday. Voting begins at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm.

Soon after the last vote is polled, exit polls by different agencies will start releasing numbers predicting the anticipated winners and the margin of their victory for both Maharashtra and Jharkhand Assembly elections.

The votes of both the assembly elections will, however, be counted on November 23, declaring the actual results.

What are Exit Polls?

The predictions of exit polls are based on voter feedback collected by survey agencies after the polling. While the idea behind the exit polls is to reflect public sentiment well before the actual results are announced, their accuracy has faced scrutiny in the past.

Date and Time of Exit Polls

The TV channels and other survey organisations can start releasing exit poll results after 6.30 pm on the polling day, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI) guidelines.

Exit polls cannot be published until half an hour after the polling ends, in accordance with Section 126A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

Where to watch Exit Polls?

Exit polls are usually streamed live on news channels and on You Tube. Some surveys are released independently while others are published in partnership with news channels.

The contest in Maharashtra is between two alliances – the Mayayuti and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is in alliance with Ajit Pawar-led NCP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena in the ruling Mahayutibanner. The opposition MVA alliance comprises the Shiv Sena (UBT), the NCP (Sharad Pawar) and the Congress party.

The contest in Jharkhand is between the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led INDIA bloc and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).