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The Election Commission of India has directed the Odisha chief electoral officer (CEO) to take immediate action against Nandighosha TV for telecasting exit poll results in the state in violation of the law, sources said.

They pointed out that exit polls are prohibited under Section 126A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, before the conclusion of elections across all phases.

The seventh and last phase of Lok Sabha elections will be held on Saturday. Six parliamentary constituencies (PCs) and 42 assembly constituencies in Odisha will witness polling in this phase, along with 51 PCs across seven other states and UTs.

EC on March 28 notified the prohibited period for dissemination of exit poll results from 7 am of April 19 to 6.30 pm of June 1.

The 2024 Indian general election in Odisha is being held in four phases to elect 21 members of the 18th Lok Sabha.

In the last assembly elections in 2019, the Biju Janata Dal won 112 out of 146 seats. The Bharatiya Janata Party won 23 seats, and the Congress got nine seats.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJD mopped up the lion’s share of the electoral spoils, with the BJP and the Congress following behind. The BJD won 12 seats, the BJP finished a close second at 8, and the Congress bagged just a lone seat.

What are exit polls?

As the 2024 Lok Sabha elections voting is approaching the last leg, the focus turns towards exit polls. These surveys, conducted by news outlets and independent research firms, endeavor to forecast the probable victor among political parties. Despite occasional discrepancies, exit polls have become increasingly influential in India.

They are seen as essential for predicting election results and form a substantial component of media reporting.

However, these polls have the tendency to influence voters. Hence stringent regulations oversee their dissemination to curb misinformation that might sway voting patterns.