The first phase of the ongoing general elections concluded on 19 April 2024, with the second phase scheduled for 26 April 2024. In this context, a purported exit poll related to the first phase, attributed to Republic TV, is circulating widely. This poll indicates Congress is in a leading position in the first phase. This article aims to verify the credibility of the poll.
Claim: Republic TV exit poll pertaining to the first phase of the 2024 general elections.
Fact: In accordance with the existing legal provisions, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has prohibited the dissemination of the exit poll results from 7 am on 19 April 2024, until 6:30 pm on 01 June 2024. It is highly improbable that any news agency would release an exit poll in violation of the law. The supposed exit poll attributed to Republic TV appears to be fabricated, as we found no reports supporting its existence. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Firstly, according to the current legal provisions, the exclusive authority to mandate the release or ban on exit poll rests with the Election Commission of India (ECI). Section 126A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 grants this authority to the ECI. The section stipulates that “No person shall conduct any exit poll and publish or publicize by means of print or electronic media or disseminate in any other manner whatsoever, the result of any exit poll during such period as may be notified by the Election Commission in this regard.”
In accordance with the aforementioned legal provision, the ECI has banned the publication of exit poll results until about half an hour after the polls close for the last phase in all states. A notice from the ECI dated 16 March 2024, explicitly states that “Section 126A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, prohibits the conduct of an exit poll and the dissemination of its results through print or electronic media during the period specified, i.e., from the hour fixed for the commencement of polling in the first phase to half an hour after the closing time of polls for the last phase in all the states. Any violation of Section 126A of the R.P. Act, 1951 is subject to imprisonment for up to two years, a fine, or both.”
Given these legal provisions, it is highly improbable that any news agency would release an exit poll in violation of the law. Additionally, the supposed exit poll attributed to Republic TV appears to be fabricated, as we found no reports supporting its existence. Moreover, according to the reports, the ECI has prohibited the release of exit polls from 7 am on 19 April 2024, until 6:30 pm on 01 June 2024.
To sum up, Republic TV did not publish any exit poll related to the first phase of the general elections 2024.
