Voting is going on in 122 assembly seats of 20 districts in the second phase of Bihar assembly elections. 1,302 candidates are in the fray for these 122 seats. More than 3.7 crore voters are casting their votes in Electronic Voting Machine (EVM). The election results will be declared on November 14, but exit polls will be released this evening.
There is a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government led by Nitish Kumar in Bihar. From 2005 to 2020, the Nitish Kumar-led alliance has won every assembly election. The 2015 election was won by the Grand Alliance, which also included the Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United). This election is expected to be mainly a contest between the ruling NDA and the opposition Grand Alliance.
Election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor’s party, Jan Suraj, and Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) were trying to make the electoral contest multi-cornered. This time NDA is facing tough competition from Grand Alliance as well as PK’s party. There are a total of 243 seats in the Bihar Assembly and out of these, voting was held on 121 seats in the first phase on November 6. More than 65 percent voting took place in the first phase.
What are exit polls?
Exit polls present a probable picture of the election results. In short, exit poll is a type of survey. Voters are asked a number of questions to find out who they have voted for. These surveys are conducted on the day of voting, hence they are called exit polls. Teams of survey agencies question voters who cast their votes outside the polling station. After knowing the opinions of the voters who cast their votes, they are analyzed. Election results are predicted on the basis of this analysis. Many agencies conduct exit polls in India.
What are the guidelines regarding exit polls?
There are some guidelines regarding exit polls. Exit poll guidelines were first issued in India in 1998. According to the Representation of the People Act, 1951, exit polls cannot be aired until all phases of voting are over. Even after the final phase of voting, telecast of exit poll results remains restricted to half an hour.
Indian law also provides that anyone broadcasting an exit poll or election-related survey in violation of the Election Commission guidelines during the election process can be punished with imprisonment of up to two years or a fine or both. There are strict guidelines regarding exit polls.