EC bans opinion and exit polls

Publication and dissemination of results of opinion and exit polls of assembly polls in Maharashtra, Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh will be banned from Sunday till the end of polling, the Election Commission said on Saturday.

Publication and dissemination of results of opinion and exit polls of assembly polls in Maharashtra, Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh will be banned from Sunday till the end of polling, the Election Commission said on Saturday.

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The ban period would start from 3 p.m on Sunday and end at 5 p.m on October 13 when the polling concludes, the EC said.

As per Supreme Court guidelines, in case of a single phase election, result of opinion and exit polls carried out at any time, cannot be published, publicised or disseminated in any manner during the period of 48 hours ending with the hour fixed for conclusion of poll, it said.

The campaign for the over month-long exercise comes to an end on Sunday. The Commission said the hour fixed for conclusion of poll in Arunachal Pradesh and in some constituencies of Maharashtra is 3 pm.