With the commencement of voting for the Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections in the state, the Election Commission of India has banned the release of exit polls or opinion polls related to the assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat from Tuesday till December 5.
Voting on 68 assembly seats in Himachal was held on Saturday Himachal Pradesh amid tight security arrangements. Meanwhile, people will vote in Gujarat in two phases on December 1 and 8 to elect their MLA and CM of the state.
The Election Commission on Thursday announced a ban on exit polls. As per the order issued, no exit poll projections in print and electronic media shall be allowed from 8 am on November 12 to 5 pm on December 5.
No election matters, including an opinion poll or any other poll in electronic media, shall be permitted to be displayed during the 48 hours ending with the hours fixed for the conclusion of polling in connection with the general elections in Himachal Pradesh It is possible Gujarat under section 126(1) (b) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
In order to ensure complete implementation of the ban, the Election Commission has ordered the Chief Electoral Officers of Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat to be advised in the form of a gazette notification. Apart from this, the officials have been advised to send official information to all news bureaus, media houses and radio and television channels.
Himachal Pradesh The assembly election campaign came to an end on Thursday. The contest between the BJP and the Congress in Himachal Pradesh’s political scene has seen the entry of the Aam Aadmi Party, which is trying to regain its ground. A total of 412 candidates are in the fray across parties.
The election will decide whether the state will choose the anti-incumbency trend or go for the BJP. BJP President JP Nadda has expressed full confidence in the return of BJP. He also told ANI that the party will continue with Jairam Thakur as the CM face.
Himachal has seen frequent changes in power during its successive state assembly elections. This time the saffron party is confident of returning to power.
To ensure maximum participation in voting, the state government declared a holiday on the day of polling for employees of government offices, boards, corporations, educational institutions and industrial establishments in Himachal Pradesh.
The counting of votes for Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh will begin on December 8. BJO has released its first list of 160 candidates. In contrast to Himachal Pradesh’s anti-incumbency, the BJP has remained in power in Gujarat for over two decades.
(With inputs from ANI)
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