Haryana Polls: Election Commission Bans Release Of Exit Polls, Surveys Till 6.30 Pm On October 5

The Election Commission on Thursday banned the release of exit polls until half an hour after the end of polling during Haryana assembly elections. The ban will remain in effect until 6:30 PM on October 5, the final day of polling.

Haryana Chief Electoral Officer Pankaj Agrawal stated that conducting and publishing or publicising exit polls by “means of print or electronic media or dissemination in any other manner whatsoever, the result of any exit poll in connection with the aforesaid general election shall be prohibited until 6.30 PM on 05.10.2024.”

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Effective from September 18 to October 5, any violating of the ban may result in imprisonment, a fine, or both. The violations include all forms of media dissemination of opinion polls and any other poll survey. ‘Violators of Section 126A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, may face imprisonment of up to two years, a fine, or both. All media houses are advised to follow these instructions,’ the direction stated. The direction is part of the routine exercise by the poll body during elections to ensure a level playing field.

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Haryana is scheduled to elect their representatives to the 99-member assembly house on October 5. The political parties are ramping up campaigns as multiple seats are set to witness intense multi-corner battle. Major political parties, including the BJP, Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, INLD, and JJP, are confronting the election without considerable alliance. While the BJP seeks to hang on power for the third term, the Congress seems to be determined to wrest back the state, emboldened by the decent performance during the recent Lok Sabha elections.

The result of both Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana assembly elections will be declared on October 8.