The Delhi Assembly Elections 2020 started on February 8 morning and the counting of votes will take place on February 11. When the Delhi Assembly Elections 2020 ends on February 8, all eyes will be on exit polls which will be out after voting concludes. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has directed media to not release exit polls before 6:30 pm on February 8.
The counting of the votes polled in all the 70 Assembly constituencies in Delhi will start from 8 am on February 11, while Delhi Assembly Election result will be announced on the same day.
Delhi Assembly Election 2020 will be a three-cornered contest this time between the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the BJP and the Congress. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP saw a landslide victory in 2015 Assembly Elections with the party securing 67 seats, leaving just three (seats) for the BJP. The Congress party failed to open its account.
Exit polls and prediction
The exit polls for the Delhi elections will be released after 6:30 PM on February 8. According to reports, the Kejriwal-led AAP seems to be on a strong position. A major reason is believed to be Kejriwal's focus on the Delhi-specific issues and steering clear of the Shaheen Bagh protests against CAA-NRC (Citizenship Amendment Act-National Register of Citizens).
Exit polls are basically a poll or survey of voters that is conducted immediately after they cast their votes. While election opinion polls try to gauge the mood of the nation by asking people who they are likely to vote for, exit polls ask voters which party did they actually vote for. Such polls are conducted by various organisations which use different methods for the purpose. But, it's important to note that this is, ultimately, just educated crystal-ball-gazing and not necessarily the writing on the wall.
How are exit polls conducted?
Agencies conduct exit polls in India using several methods, but the basic step remains the same - sampling. Some agencies conduct a random sampling of constituencies while others opt for systematic sampling. The random sampling can be of the electorate as well, covering parameters such as age, sex, caste, region and more.
Election Commission advisory on Delhi exit polls
Last month, Election Commission of India notified the period between 8.00 A.M. and 6.30 P.M. on 8th February, 2020 (Saturday) as the period during which conducting any exit poll and publishing or publicising the result of exit poll by means of the print or electronic media or in any other manner will be prohibited in the ongoing General Election to the Legislative Assembly of NCT of Delhi, 2020.
The Model Code of Conduct has come into effect in Delhi after Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora announced the election dates for the much-anticipated Delhi assembly elections on January 6. He also said that 90,000 policemen will be deployed for the smooth conducting of Delhi election. There are 13,750 polling stations in Delhi.
Delhi Election 2020: How to watch Live TV coverage on voting day
The voting process for Delhi assembly elections for a total of 70 constituencies will be held in a single phase on Saturday, February 8, 2020. The exit poll results of the Delhi Election 2020 will be declared soon after the voting ends. The official counting of votes by the Election Commission of India (ECI) for the state's assembly elections will commence on February 11 and the results will be declared on the same date.
The Election Commission announced the poll schedule for Delhi on 6 February 2020. The tenure of the current Delhi Legislative Assembly ends on February 22. As per the final electoral list for Delhi, a total of 1.46 crore voters will exercise their franchise. This includes 80.55 lakh males and 66.35 lakh females who will decide the fate of total 70 constituencies in Delhi assembly elections 2020. The voting in all the polling booths of all the 70 constituencies will begin at 8 am and continue till 6 pm.
The live coverage on the polling process can be watched on the Business Today website, or on Aaj Tak and India Today website and TV, from 7 am onwards. The last date of filing nominations was 22 January 2020, while the last date for withdrawal of nominations was 24 January 2020.
Elections for 70 constituencies in Delhi Assembly will see a triangular contest between Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party, Bharatiya Janata Party, and the Indian National Congress. While AAP is contesting on all 70 Assembly constituencies, the Congress has fielded candidates on 66 seats. Bharatiya Janata Party is contesting 67 seats in the Delhi Assembly Election 2020.
This will be the first polls in the national capital since the Narendra Modi-led-BJP swept to a massive win in Lok Sabha polls in 2019, with the party taking all 7 parliamentary seats in Delhi. In Delhi Election 2015, the Aam Aadmi Party had swept 67 seats with a landslide majority, while the BJP was reduced to only 3 seats and Congress to zero.
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