EC permits broadcasting of exit polls after 7 pm today

The Election Commission of India has given permission to media platforms to broadcast their exit polls for West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry after 7 pm on 28th April.

In a notification by the Election Commission of India (ECI) it has been said that the figures of the exit polls for the states of West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry can be released after 7 pm today. The votes in these states will be counted on 2nd May.

But what is an Exit Poll? Its the count of the choices of the voters taken immediately after they have exited the polling stations. A similar poll conducted before the voting process is called an Entrance Poll.

Pollsters, usually private companies working for newspapers or broadcasters, conduct exit polls to gain an early indication as to how an election has turned out, as in many elections the actual result may take hours or even months to count.