Exit poll projections for five states will be released after EC restrictions end today, offering early trends before counting day, with multiple agencies expected to share estimates.
Kerala Poll Results 2026: Counting begins as electoral battle enters final phase. (Photo: IANS)
As voting for the final phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections draws to a close on Wednesday (April 29, 2026), viewers across the country will turn to television screens and digital platforms for exit poll predictions later in the evening.
The Election Commission’s restriction on publishing exit polls during the polling period will end once voting concludes, allowing agencies to release their projections for West Bengal, along with Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam, and Puducherry. The early estimates are expected to offer a first sense of voter sentiment ahead of the official results on May 4.
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Exit poll predictions can only be made public after 6:30 pm on April 29, as mandated by the Election Commission. The “silence period” began at 7:00 am on April 9, during which no survey findings could be published or broadcast.
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Officials have made it clear that any breach of these rules is punishable with imprisonment of up to two years, a fine, or both.
Once the embargo lifts, exit poll results will be available across multiple platforms. Viewers can track updates on television news channels, official websites of polling agencies, and their verified social media handles.
Live coverage will also be available on The Statesman website, which will carry real-time updates, analysis, and constituency-level projections for West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry.
Agencies such as CVoter, Axis My India, IPSOS, Jan Ki Baat, and Today’s Chanakya are expected to release projections. Most broadcasters will also provide detailed analysis and constituency-level trends for all five regions that went to polls this month.
Exit polls are based on feedback collected from voters immediately after they cast their ballots. Survey teams usually stand outside polling stations and speak to voters as they come out, asking who they voted for. They also make a quick note of things like age or gender, just to get a sense of how different groups may have voted.
All of this is then put together to guess who might be ahead and how the seats could fall. It gives a rough early picture, but exit polls have been off the mark before, so they are always taken with a pinch of salt.
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