NEW DELHI: Voting in Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry have concluded on Tuesday. West Bengal yesterday completed its third and by far the most violence-hit round of polling out of eight phases with a voter turnout of 77.6% across 31 seats. Now, All eyes will be on the exit polls which will be out on April 29 once the election concludes in Bengal. The Election Commission has banned exit polls till 7:30 pm on April 29. Counting of votes will be done on May 2.
Exit poll is an opinion survey that is conducted to get a sense of how people voted in a particular election. Unlike opinion polls, which are based on responses gathered from a sample size, the exit polls gather data from the ground on polling day itself.
When was the first exit poll in India conducted? In India, exit polls were almost indigenously started by the Delhi-based Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) in the 1960s. However, satellite television gave exit polls prominence, with the state-run Doordarshan's commissioning of a countrywide exit poll in 1996 to CSDS.
Tamil Nadu election ends peacefully with voter turnout of 71.79%
Polling in 234 constituencies in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday went off peacefully barring minor scuffles among cadres and glitches in electronic voting machines in some parts of the state. The state recorded 71.79% voter turnout at the end of 12-hour polling amid the Covid pandemic. The voter turnout was 74.24% in the 2016 assembly election.
81.64% polling in Puducherry UT
Polling in Puducherry Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam was peaceful by and large barring a few stray incidents. The territory reported 81.64% polling which is less than the 84.08% polled in 2016 and 86.19% polling in 2011. Most of the rural constituencies crossed 80% polling by evening while many urban constituencies crossed 70% polling by evening.
Kerala recorded 74% polling
Kerala went to the polls on Tuesday to elect its 15th legislative assembly, registering a turnout of 74.2% that fell 2.8% short of the last assembly elections in 2016 (77.35%), which election commission sources attributed to the Covid-19 situation. The election witnessed a tight contest between the two rival fronts (LDF and UDF) in most constituencies while the BJP-led NDA put up a decent fight in many seats.
Over 82 % polling in final phase of voting in Assam
Assam wrapped up its third and final phase with 82% polling in the last 40 of its 126 seats. The final phase has decided the fate of 337 candidates, including 25 women aspirants. Election officials said that except some minor incidents, no major untoward incident was reported from anywhere of the 12 western Assam districts, bordering Bhutan, West Bengal and Arunachal Pradesh, where polling took place peacefully and smoothly.
West Bengal: 2 dead, 5 candidates attacked in violence-hit 3rd phase
Largescale violence rocked the third phase of polling in Bengal with at least five candidates from different parties attacked, their vehicles damaged and polling agents thrashed and two party workers killed.
Voting for fourth phase will be on April 10 for 44 seats, fifth phase on April 17 for 45 seats, sixth phase for 43 seats on April 22, seventh phase on April 26 for 36 seats and last and eighth phase on April 29 for 35 seat.