The tenure of the present state government in Maharashtra is ending on 9 November 2019. On October 21, 2019, the voters are actively casting their votes from the various polling booths of the state spread across 288 constituencies to choose the fresh government that will take charge of the Vidhan Sabha.
At present, the state is ruled by the National Democratic Alliance led by the BJP. In the 2014 general elections, the NDA made of BJP and Shiv Sena formed the government with a total number of 185 MPs (122 and 63 respectively). The Congress Party was the runner up in these elections which got less than 20% of the total number of seats as they won from 42 constituencies only.
The election scenario in Maharashtra
Two major alliances are trying their luck in the 2019 assembly elections. While the BJP and the Shiv Sena are facing the elections together, the Congress Party has joined hands with the NCP (Nationalist Congress Party). The other regional parties are either contesting independently or in alliance with one of these two major groups.
The purpose of exit polls
Elections trigger the curiosity of the voters. Every elector is very eager to know which party will win the elections and form the next government. During most times, the counting is scheduled a few days after the polling and hence the long wait becomes unmanageable for the voters. The purpose of exit polls is to give indications to the voters on what could be the turnout of the elections.
What are exit polls?
The different agencies that conduct the exit polls are some private firms, broadcasting companies and newspapers. Opinion poll, entrance poll and exit poll are the three different approaches to predicting the election results. During an opinion poll, the pollsters find out from the voters to whom they are planning to vote. Entrance poll happens when the voters are just waiting to cast their votes by finding out their preferences. An exit poll happens just after the polling process when the pollsters ask the voters leaving the polling booths to whom they had voted and consolidate their findings to presume the actual results.
EC guidelines on exit polls
To ensure a free and fair elections, there are a few strict guidelines issued by the Election Commission regarding the publishing of the exit poll results on websites, newspapers, websites, TV channels, and social media platforms. The rules bar the pollsters from publishing the exit poll results before the scheduled time for polling ends in the state. Exit poll results can be announced only after half an hour after the closing time of the polling.
It is mandatory for the exit poll agencies to provide the details about the sample size of the constituency, the information about the methods employed for the exit polls, the error margin expected and the particulars about the polling agency that had conducted the surveys. A disclaimer must also accompany the publishing of exit poll results that must state that the views published cannot be taken as the final results.