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The Election Commission (EC) on Friday said exit polls will be banned till May 16, the day of counting, but soon after clarified the prohibition will be in place only till the end of the last phase of polling on Monday.
“Exit poll is prohibited till half-an-hour after closing of the poll on May 12 (the last day of the nine-phased polling),” the Election Commission stated.
“In a multi-phased election, the ban begins the hour the poll is fixed and ends half-an-hour after the poll ends in the last phase," said Dhirendra Ojha, Director in the EC.
The EC’s clarification came soon after Election Commissioner H S Brahma said the exit polls cannot be telecast before May 16. “We will not allow you to open your mouth before (May) 16th evening,” he said during an interaction with Indian Women Press Corps here.
Sources in the EC later said there was a “slip of tongue” on part of Brahma with regard to the date.
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