Election Commission Notification Dt. 7.4.2019 – Ban on Exit Poll

To be published in the Gazette of India, and republished in Gazettes of States & Union Territories

ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA
Nirvachan Sadan, Ashoka Road, New Delhi-I 10001

No. 576/Exit/2019/SDR-Vol.l

Dated: 7th April,2019
17 Chaitra, 1941 (Saka)

NOTIFICATION

Whereas, the schedule for the General Elections to the House of the People, 2019, State Legislative Assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha & Sikkim 2019 and byeelections in the State Legislative Assemblies of Bihar, Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh & West Bengal, were announced by the Commission vide Press Notes bearing No. No. ECI/PN/23/2019 dated l O” March, 2019, ECI/PN/26/2019 dated 13th March, 2019 and ECI/PN/28/2019 dated 14th March, 2019.

2. And whereas, as per the provisions of Section 126A of The Representation of the People Act, 1951 (in short R.P. Act, 1951) there shall be restrictions on conduct of any exit poll and publication and dissemination of result of such exit poll during such period, as may be notified by the Election Commission in this regard:

3. Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers under sub-Section (1) of Section 126A of the R.P. Act, 1951, the Election Commission. having regard to the provisions of sub-Section (2) of the said Section, hereby notifies the period between 7.00 A.M on 11th April, 2019 (Thursday) and 6:30 PM on 19th May, 2019 (Sunday) as the period during which conducting any exit poll and publishing or publicizing by means of the print or electronic media or dissemination in any other manner whatsoever, the result of any exit poll in connection with the current General Elections to the House of the People, 2019, and the State Legislative Assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha & Sikkim 2019, and byeelections from assembly constituencies announced vide Press Notes referred to above, to be held simultaneously with the general election to Lok Sabha, shall be prohibited.

4. It is further clarified that under Section 126(1)(b) of the R.P. Act, 1951, displaying any election matter including results of any opinion poll or any other poll survey, in any electronic media, would be prohibited during the period of 48 hours ending with the hours fixed for conclusion of poll in the respective polling areas in connection with aforesaid General elections and bye-elections.

By order,
(K.F. Wilfred)
Senior Principal Secretary

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