On Thursday this week, ECI put into formal notice that Exit Polls will not be allowed for the upcoming Assembly polls in Jammu Kashmir and Haryana. This restriction will commence at 7:00 AM of 18th September and come to an end at 6:30 PM on 5th October, which signifies the end of voting. The move has been done in compliance with the business that has been established by the ECI for the elections to be fair and non-bias.
The announcement formulated in the official notification brings into play section 126A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, erected on the prohibition of conduct, publication, and dissemination of exit polls in print media, electronic media, and any other mode of media, electronic, print or offline during the prescribed period. This regulation has been established to avoid the influence of the voters by the results of the exit polls, especially during multiple phases of the voting.
The ECI, for instance, does not allow exit polls as this is one way of eliminating vices that may overshadow the actual processes. Therefore, to avoid putting pressure on the voters who have not been able to vote during the final phase of voting, the commission has barred the release of any exit poll data until the final phase of the voting.
It also wants all media houses and polling organizations to refrain from conducting and disseminating any exit poll analysis or projection during this period. Failure to adhere to this rule could attract legal repercussions as per the provision of the Act. The objective of this regulation, as the name suggests, is to protect the purity of the democracy and the free will of the voters rather than the votes being cast just based on the trends or any guesswork that one might be doing during the voting.
This move by the ECI comes just in time when the elections are around the corner in Jammu Kashmir and Haryana, which proves that the ECI is ready to go the extra mile to ensure that all the political parties are treated equally and is ready to safeguard the integrity of the democratic process in the country.
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