Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 Exit Poll: What Time Will Exit Polls Take Place

Maharashtra assembly elections will be held on November 20, 2024 in a single phase for all of the 288 Assembly constituencies. "We received 7,078 valid nomination forms for 288 seats. Of these, 2,938 candidates have withdrawn nominations, leaving 4,140 in the fray,” PTI wrote, quoting an official of the state election commission.

The state is witnessing a neck-to-neck competition with the two coalitions putting their best foot forward. On one side we have the MVA or Mahayuti and the Maha Vikas Aghadi, which comprises Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction), NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) and Congress. On the other hand is the Mahayuti alliance, consisting of Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde), NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) and the BJP. 

Some of the key figures fighting this election include Devendra Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar, Nana Patole, Uddhav Thackrey, Sharad Pawar, Aaditya Thakrey, among others.

Key Dates

Date of issue of Gazette notification: Oct. 22 
Last date for nominations: Oct. 29 
Date for scrutiny of nominations: Oct. 30 Last date for withdrawal of nominations: Nov. 4 
Voting day: Nov. 20 
Counting for votes: Nov. 23 
Counting of votes will start at 8 a.m. on Nov. 23.

As per the Election Commission guidelines, exit polls are to be aired after completion of voting.

What Are Exit Polls

Exit polls are surveys conducted after people cast their votes and are leaving the voting booth. A sample set of voters are asked about their voting choice. Exit polls are used to gain insights into the voting pattern and trends. They are not always accurate about the voter sentiment. The exit polls will be streamed after 6:30 pm.