Jammu & Kashmir
Exit Polls Banned
- 05 Sep 2024
- 2 min read
Why in News?
Recently, the Election Commission of India (ECI) issued a notification banning the release of exit polls for the upcoming Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
Key Points
- Exit polls are banned from being conducted or published from 7:00 AM on September 18, 2024, to 6:30 PM on October 5, 2024.
- An exit poll is conducted immediately after people have voted, and assesses the support for political parties and their candidates.
- The move is a standard procedure to ensure fairness and prevent exit polls from influencing voter behavior during the election process.
- The ban is based on Section 126A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which prohibits the conducting, publishing, or publicizing of exit polls.
- Exit poll results can be published 30 minutes after the last vote is cast.
- Under Section 126(1)(b) of the RP Act, 1951, displaying any election-related material, including opinion polls, is prohibited during the 48 hours before the end of polling.
- An opinion poll is a pre-election survey to gather voters’ views on a range of election-related issues.
Representation of the People Act (RPA), 1950
- Key Provisions:
- Lays down procedures for delimitation of constituencies.
- Provides for the allocation of seats in the House of the People and in the Legislative Assemblies and Legislative Councils of States.
- Lays procedure for the preparation of electoral rolls and the manner of filling seats.
- Lays down the qualification of voters.
Representation of the People Act (RPA),1951
- Key Provisions:
- It regulates the actual conduct of elections and by-elections.
- It provides administrative machinery for conducting elections.
- It deals with the registration of political parties.
- It specifies the qualifications and disqualifications for membership of the Houses.
- It provides provisions to curb corrupt practices and other offences.
- It lays down the procedure for settling doubts and disputes arising out of elections.
