Election Commission cracks the whip over ‘exit poll’

New Delhi: Taking serious note of exit polls being conducted by a leading Hindi daily after the first phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, the Election Commission on Monday ordered lodging of FIRs the publication and an agency in 15 districts in Uttar Pradesh for violating its directions.

The poll body said Section 126A(1) of Representation of the People Act, 1951 provides that no person shall conduct any exit poll and publish or publicise by means of print or electronic media, the result of any exit poll during such period as may be notified by the Commission.

As per the directions, exit polls cannot be conducted and publicised by means of print and electronic media or dissemination in any other manner starting from February 4, 2017 at 7 am to March 8, 2017 at 5.30 pm.

The EC shot off a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer in UP in which it reminded the CEO that the “offence under Section 126A is punishable by imprisonment for upto 2 years or with fine or both.”

The EC said that it has been brought to its notice that “the Dainik Jagran newspaper has published result of exit polls conducted by a company by the name of Resource Development International (I) Pvt Ltd.”