Exit poll

About Exit poll:

• What is an exit poll?
  • An exit poll is a post-election survey that shows how many seats a political party will likely win.
  • It is not the same as the official election results.
• When will Exit polls be released?
  • They can be released by media houses only after the voting ends for an election.
• Methods of conducting:
  • They are taken immediately after voters have cast their ballots.
• Legal Regulations:
  • The exit polls are regulated by Section 126A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
  • This law stipulates that no person shall conduct or publish exit polls via print or electronic media, or disseminate the results in any manner, during a period specified by the Election Commission of India.
  • Any person who contravenes the provisions of the Section 126A shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years or with a fine or with both.

Q1: What is the Election Commission of India (ECI)?

The ECI is an autonomous and permanent constitutional body responsible for organising free and fair elections in the Union and States of India. The Constitution grants the ECI with the power of direction, superintendence, and control of elections to Parliament, state legislatures, the office of president of India and the office of vice-president of India. The ECI does not deal with the elections to the urban bodies such as Municipalities and Panchayats in the states and hence, a separate State Election Commission.

Source: Now, onto exit polls: A look back at how close they were in 2009, 2014, 2019