The Election Commission on Saturday issued an advisory to the media saying exit polls can only be telecast after the final phase of polling for the Lok Sabha elections ends on May 19. The advisory is also applicable for Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and Sikkim.
The Election Commission’s advisory said that TV, radio channels, cable networks, websites and social media platforms should ensure that the contents of programmes telecast during the 48-hour period before the end of polls in each phase “do not contain any material, including views or appeals by participants that may be construed as promoting or prejudicing the prospect” of any particular party or candidate. The advisory included guidelines to websites and social media for the first time.
The Lok Sabha elections will be held in seven phases from April 11 to May 19. Votes will be counted on May 23.
The advisory said that conducting exit polls and broadcasting its results are prohibited from the hour fixed for commencement of polls in the first phase of elections till half and hour after the time fixed for close of polls in the last phase.
“The Election Commission will monitor the broadcasts made by news broadcasters from the time elections are announced until the conclusion and announcement of election results,” the advisory said. “Any violation by member broadcasters reported to the News Broadcasting Standards Authority by the Election Commission will be dealt with by the NBSA under its regulations.”
The Election Commission said news broadcasters must not air any final or definite results until they are formally announced by the poll body. It said such results should be carried with a disclaimer that they are “unofficial or incomplete or partial results or projections which should not be taken as final results”.
The poll body has also allotted broadcast time to national parties and recognised regional parties on Doordarshan and All India Radio for the Lok Sabha elections. The commission said political parties or politicians should not criticise other countries, or make any verbal attack on any community or religion, use defamatory or obscene remarks or incite violence during broadcast and telecast.
The Election Commission has fixed 10 hours of telecasting time on the Doordarshan for national parties, 15 hours on Regional Doordarshan Kendras for national parties, 30 hours on Regional Doordarshan Kendras for state parties.
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