Assembly Polls 2023: Election Commission bans exit polls from Nov 7 till Nov 30 evening

The Election Commission of India on Tuesday prohibited the publication or publicising of exit poll results from November 7 till November 30 evening in view of the upcoming Assembly elections in five states. According to the poll body, the ban will remain in effect from 7 am on November 7 till 6:30 pm on November 30.

"The Election Commission, having regard to the provisions of sub-Section (2) of the said Section, hereby notifies the period between 7:00 am on 7th November 2023 (Tuesday) and 6:30 PM on 30th November 2023 (Thursday) as the period during which conducting and publishing or publicizing 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 Elections and bye-election shall be prohibited," the official notification issued by ECI read. An exit poll is a survey that is conducted immediately after people have voted for their respective candidates. The tool helps in assessing the support for political parties and their candidates.

The election dates for the five states are as follows: Mizoram on November 7, Chhattisgarh on November 7 and November 17, Madhya Pradesh on November 17, Rajasthan on November 25, and Telangana on November 30. The counting of votes will take place on December 3 in all the states. Of the five states, polling in Chhattisgarh will be held in two phases.

The Model Code of Conduct has come into force with the announcement of poll dates. These elections are crucial as they are taking place months before the Lok Sabha elections scheduled for April-May next year. According to the Chief Election Commissioner, nearly 16 crore voters are eligible to vote in these elections.