New Delhi: The Election Commission has imposed restrictions on exit polls before the elections. The crackdown will start from next April 19. ECI has banned the organization, publication and broadcasting of exit polls. The Election Commission has issued a notification on Friday.
The notice says that the exit polls will be restricted from 7:00 am on April 19th to 6:30 pm on June 1st. According to the Representation of the People Act, no election-related content such as opinion poll results and vote poll reports can be broadcast on electronic media 48 hours before the end of polling. Similarly, this crackdown will be applied to all print media and other media as well.
Apart from the Lok Sabha elections across the country, voting will also be held for assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and Sikkim. During that time, by-elections for 25 assembly seats in 12 states will also be held. During the elections in these states, it has also imposed restrictions on the organization, publication and broadcasting of exit polls.
It is worth noting that the assembly and Lok Sabha elections of 4 states will be held in 7 phases. The first phase is on April 19 and the seventh phase will be held on June 1. Also, the results will be declared on June 4. The code of conduct has been implemented in the country since the announcement of the election date.
