People watching the exit poll results, India,
According to the definitions from Oxford Languages, an exit poll is an opinion poll of people leaving a polling station, asking how they voted. An election exit poll is a poll of voters taken immediately after they have exited the polling stations. A similar poll conducted before actual voters have voted is called an entrance poll.
Exit polls can be defined as the indicators of election outcomes. They provide insights into potential victors and the margins of their victory. Exit polls in India traces back to 1957, during the second Lok Sabha elections. Then the pioneering initiative was led by the Indian Institute of Public Opinion. Exit polls are conducted after the culmination of the last phase of voting, in accordance with the guidelines set by the Election Commission of India.
Exit polls entail the collection of samples, representing diverse demographics and geographical regions, to gauge public sentiment towards political parties and their performance. The Representation of the People’s Act, 1951, under Section 126A, stipulates that exit polls cannot be conducted or disseminated until the final phase of voting concludes.