ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS 2026 Exit Polls : On 22 April, the Election Commission of India released booth-wise lists of voters whose cases had been decided by tribunals, and therefore, they could take part in the first round of the West Bengal elections on 23 April. The poll panel made two lists available on its website, one of the voters whose names have been included as ordered by the tribunals, and an exclusion list of those who have not been included.
What do you need to know about assembly elections exit polls?
The commission, however, did not issue any information as to the total number of electors having applied, or as to the number of electors to be admitted.
The reports indicate that there are 139 additional voters to the electoral roll by Tribunal orders right before the initial phase of polling in West Bengal. The Tribunal ruled 650 cases, 139 of them were added to the voter list, and these people will be able to vote during the first stage.
This addition makes the total voters in the first phase 3,60,77,310. The second-phase electoral roll is still yet to be prepared, with Tribunal events still ongoing until 27 April. The number of names will probably increase before that stage.
West Bengal Exit Polls: What Happened Earlier?
The Bengal elections are more of a Trinamool Congress v/s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) bipolar battle, which has been on since 2021. As Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mamata Banerjee makes an attempt to get re-elected, Suvendu Adhikari is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate in the state. Other parties include Communist Party of India (Marxist) (Left Front) and Indian National Congress.
Banerjee is also aiming a 4th term with a concern of governance fatigue. The Bengali culture, language and local pride are main instruments of campaigns. Whereas the TMC is depending on the mobilisation on the ground the BJP approach entails the PM level intervention, vigorous rallies and message wars.
The 2026 Bengal election is emerging as a high stakes TMC vs BJP battle that is fuelled by welfare vs anti-incumbency, reports say.
Tamil Nadu Exit Polls
In Tamil Nadu there are 4,023 in the fray, in 234 Assembly constituencies that cover the State. It is estimated that 5,73,43,291 electors will cast their franchise, on Thursday (April 23, 2026). Prior to the elections, Chief Electoral Officer of Tamil Nadu, Archana Patnaik, paid a visit to the control room to check the activities that were being conducted to ensure that the elections on the polling day proceeded smoothly.
In the 2021 exit poll of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, the dominance of MK Stalin was undoubtedly seen in the Axis My India exit poll. The DMK-led alliance was expected to garner 175 to 195 seats according to the exit poll. By comparison, the ruling AIADMK-led alliance at the time was only likely to obtain 38 to 54 seats.
Why are the exit polls banned by EC on the day of elections?
The Election Commission has banned the practice, publication or broadcast of exit polls between 7 am April 9 to 6.30 pm April 29. This includes the whole voting process in five major Assembly elections. Section 126A of the Representation of the people Act, 1951 supports the rule. Breaking it is a grave crime and can be punished with a jail term of up to two years, a fine or both.
The ban is maintained longer by phased polling.
The Commission isn’t just banning exit polls. It’s also putting a strict 48-hour silence period in place before polls close in each constituency. Once that window opens, all campaign rallies and big public speeches have to stop. No more mass outreach. Candidates and their teams can still do a bit of door-to-door outreach, but only in a very limited way.
Enforcing these rules online still trips everyone up. Social media and messaging apps can blast out campaign content in seconds, which is tough to keep a lid on.
Polling usually runs from 7 am to 6 pm, although those hours might change depending on local needs or security concerns.
The Commission hopes these rules will keep things fair and free from last-minute influence, especially as the 2026 Assembly Elections get underway. Tamil Nadu casts ballots on April 23. West Bengal spreads its election out over two phases, April 23 and April 29.
