Exit Poll 2026: Whose government will be formed and who will be out? Exit polls of 5 states are coming this evening, know the time and rules

Exit Poll Results 2026 Date and Time: The great battle of assembly elections in five major states of India – West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala and Union Territory Puducherry has reached its final stage today. As soon as the last vote is cast in West Bengal this evening, the entire country will be waiting for the exit poll results. All the media houses and survey agencies will present their magical figures for these five areas, which will tell to whom the public has handed over the keys to power this time and to whom they have given the mandate to sit in the opposition.

Exit poll time: When will the suspense end?

If you are also desperate to know when the exit polls will start on TV, then you should know the rules of the Election Commission. As per the strict instructions of the Election Commission of India (ECI), it is illegal to show any kind of exit poll before the completion of the voting process. Under Section 126A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 April 29 (Wednesday) at 6:30 pm Only after this will the exit poll results be made live. Exactly half an hour after the voting ends at 6:00 pm, data will start raining on the TV screen.

Eyes fixed on the political future of these 5 states

The exit poll projections coming this evening will mainly include trends from these five states and union territories: West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala and Puducherry. Although voting took place in all these states in different phases and on different dates, but as per the rules of the Election Commission, the data of all the states will be released together this evening itself.

Election Commission’s strict warning and guidelines

The Election Commission has drawn the Lakshman Rekha for media institutions and digital platforms. The Commission has warned that during the restricted time no material should be shown which could influence the voters’ decision. This includes opinion polls or any analysis that creates an atmosphere in favor of a particular party. Institutions violating the rules may face jail terms of up to two years, heavy fines or both.

After all, how are these figures prepared?

Exit polling is a scientific method in which survey agencies talk directly to the voters coming out of the polling booth. In this, data is collected by maintaining a balance between city and village. After closely analyzing this data, the vote share and number of possible seats are estimated. Although these are not final results, they often indicate which direction the political wind is blowing.

Will have to wait a little for real results

The figures released after 6:30 pm today will only be an estimate (trends). Actual and official results of all five states May 4, 2026 Will be announced after counting of votes. Till then, the debate on these exit poll figures will continue from political circles to tea stalls.