Campaigning for the last phase of West Bengal election ended today, April 27, with attention now shifting to voting day and the exit poll results. When will the exit poll results for West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Assembly elections 2026 be declared? Voting for Phase 2 of the West Bengal Assembly elections 2026 is scheduled for Wednesday, April 29, and the silence period will remain in effect until 6:00 pm that day. During this period, all media platforms are barred from publishing or broadcasting any election-related content.
“…the TV/Radio channels and cable networks should ensure that the contents of the programme telecast/broadcast/displayed by them during the period mentioned above do not contain any material, including views/appeals by panellists/participants that may be construed as promoting/prejudicing the prospect of any particular party or candidate(s) or influencing/affecting the result of the election,” it said.
“This includes display of any opinion poll,” the Election Commission said after announcing the election schedule.
For the exit polls, all media organisations have been notified that the conduct of “exit poll and dissemination of their results is prohibited between 7:00 am on April 9, 2026 and 6.30 pm on April 29, 2026.”
This suggests that exit poll results for West Bengal, Assam, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and Kerala are expected to be out on Wednesday, April 29, after 6:30 pm.
If anyone violates the silence period and releases any election-related numbers before 6:30 pm on April 29, it is “punishable with imprisonment upto a period of two years, or with fine or both,” the Election Commission said.
In the first phase, West Bengal registered a record voter turnout of nearly 92 per cent amid sporadic incidents of violence, while Tamil Nadu recorded unprecedented voting of over 84 per cent. The high voter turnout was recorded as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) pushed to unseat Mamata Banerjee in Bengal and expand its footprint in the southern state.
In West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee-led TMC seeks a fourth straight term in a state the saffron party has never governed, and in Tamil Nadu, key contenders are the ruling DMK and main opposition AIADMK, while actor-politician Vijay-led TVK and Tamil nationalist Seeman-led NTK are putting up a determined fight.
The second phase for the remaining 142 of 294 seats in West Bengal will be held on April 29. The counting for all four states and one Union Territory-Kerala, Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry-will be on May 4.
