Delhi Election: Election Commission Bans Exit Polls Until Voting Ends On February 5

Delhi Election: The Election Commission has prohibited the release of exit polls until 6.30 pm on February 5, the day of voting, reported the Mint.

The results for the Delhi Elections will be announced on February 8.

"In exercise of the powers under sub-Section (1) of Section 126A of the RP 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. to 6.30 P.M. on 05.02.2025 (Wednesday) as the period during which conducting and publishing or publicising exit polls 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 aforesaid General and bye elections, shall be prohibited," said a notice issued by the poll panel on Monday, February 3.

Section 126A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 (RP Act, 1951) specifies that "no person shall conduct any exit poll and publish or publicise by means of the print or electronic media or disseminate in any other manner, whatsoever, the result of any exit poll during such period, as may be notified by the Election Commission in this regard."

What are Exit Polls?

Exit poll predictions are based on voter feedback collected by survey agencies after polling takes place. While the aim of exit polls is to reflect public sentiment ahead of the actual results, their accuracy has been questioned in the past.

Despite generating huge interest before the actual result day, exit polls have proven inaccurate in recent elections. A recent example was the Haryana Assembly elections last year, where all exit polls predicted a Congress victory, but the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged victorious.

"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 the conclusion of the poll in connection with the aforesaid general and bye elections," the poll panel added.

In addition to the Delhi Assembly elections, bypolls for the Milkipur assembly seat in Uttar Pradesh and the Erode (East) assembly seat in Tamil Nadu are also scheduled for February 5.