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Haryana assembly election: Exit polls after voting tomorrow. When and where to watch?
The ruling BJP is battling an anti-incumbency, having been in power in the state for the past 10 years.
Haryana, where the BJP has been in power since October 2014, will vote in a single phase on Saturday. After voting concludes in the evening, news channels will come out with the results of exit polls conducted for them by professional pollsters to project the likely outcome and which party could win how many seats.
More than 2.03 crore electors are eligible to vote in the election, in which as many as 1031 candidates, including 101 women, are in the fray for total 90 seats of the Haryana legislative assembly.
What is an exit poll?
It is a poll of voters taken immediately after they exit the polling booth; therefore, the name ‘exit poll.’ People are asked who they voted for and projections are prepared on the basis of responses.
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A similar exercise is the opinion poll, conducted months or days before the election day. Here, people are asked who they intend to vote for.
Opinion polls cannot be conducted after the schedule of an election is announced. This is to ensure an individual's choice of candidate is not influenced.
Where to watch Haryana exit polls?
On the election day, voting will be held from 7am to 6pm. From 7pm onwards, news channels will begin releasing their respective exit poll projections. You can watch these on TV or follow the exit poll blog of hindustantimes.com for live updates.
How accurate are exit polls?
It is possible for an exit poll to go wrong as voters may not have been truthful in revealing who they voted for. For example, for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, nearly every agency predicted well over 350 seats for the BJP-led ruling NDA. However, the NDA won 293 seats, including 240 by the BJP.
