EC orders FIR against Hindi portal for running 'opinion poll'

Election Commission has banned showing exit and opinion polls till March 8.

Lucknow, Feb 23: The state Election Commission has ordered registration of an FIR against a portal for running "opinion poll" during voting in fourth phase of polling on Thursday.

The Hindi portal, dainikaaj.com, ran the "opinion poll" projecting a favourable outcome for ruling Samajwadi Party, Additional CEO PK Pandey said. ADG, law and order, has been asked to lodge FIR against Ratan Lal Nagar and Saurabh for posting the "opinion poll", he said.

FIR will be lodged under Article 126 of Representation of People Act 1951, he added. This article prohibits publication of any "election matter" intended or calculated to influence or affect the result of an election. EC has banned showing exit and opinion polls till March 8.

Earlier, a Dainik Jagran online editor was arrested for publishing exit polls after the first phase of UP elections. The scribe was later granted bail.

PTI