EXIT POLLS

2. About exit polls

• An exit poll asks voters which political party they are supporting after they have cast their votes in an election.
• In this, it differs from an opinion poll, which is held before the elections.
• An exit poll is supposed to give an indication of which way the winds are blowing in an election, along with the issues, personalities, and loyalties that have influenced voters.
• Today, exit polls in India are conducted by several organizations, often in tie-ups with media organizations.
• The surveys can be conducted face-to-face or online.

3. Impact of exit poll 

• Some common parameters for a good or accurate opinion poll would be a sample size that is both large and diverse and a constructed questionnaire without overt bias.
• Sanjay Kumar, Director of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, has said “Without a structured questionnaire, the data can neither be collected coherently nor be analyzed systematically to arrive at vote share estimates.”
• Political parties often allege that these polls are motivated or financed by a rival party.
• Critics also say that the results gathered in exit polls can be influenced by the choice, wording, and timing of the questions and by the nature of the sample drawn.

4. Evolution of exit polls in India

5. Rules governing exit polls in India

• The issue of when exit polls should be allowed to be published has gone to the Supreme Court thrice in various forms. 
• Currently, exit polls can’t be telecast from before voting begins till the last phase concludes.

For Prelims & Mains