EC reminds media to follow silence period and exit poll ban to ensure fair Bihar elections, bypolls

New Delhi [India], October 26 (ANI): The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday reminded all media outlets to strictly follow the '48-hour silence period' and exit poll restrictions for the Bihar Assembly elections and bye-polls in the spirit of a fair and peaceful election process.
The voting for the 243-seat Bihar Assembly will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11, whereas bye-elections for eight seats across seven states and Union Territories will be held on November 11. The results for both will be declared on November 14.
"Section 126 (1)(b) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, prohibits displaying any election matter by means, inter alia, of television or similar apparatus, in any polling area during the period of forty-eight hours (silence period) ending with the
hour fixed for the conclusion of the poll for any election in that polling area," the EC said in a release on Sunday.
The Commission reiterates that the TV/Radio channels and cable networks should ensure that the contents of the programmes telecast/broadcast/displayed by them during the period of 48 hours referred to in the above section do not contain any
material, including views/appeals by panellists/participants that may be construed as promoting/prejudicing the prospect of any particular party or candidate(s) or influencing/affecting the result of the election. This includes the display of any opinion poll, the release said.
"The Commission under Section 126A of the R.P. Act 1951, has notified that the conduct of Exit poll and dissemination of their results by means of print or electronic media is prohibited between 7:00 AM on November 6, 2025 (Thursday) and 6.30 PM on November 11, 2025 (Tuesday). Violation of Section 126 of the R.P. Act, 1951 is punishable with imprisonment upto a period of two years, or with fine or both," the release reads.
In Bihar, the main contest is between the ruling Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led NDA and the RJD-led opposition alliance 'Mahagathbandhan.'
NDA includes the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM).
Mahagathbandhan, led by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), includes Congress, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI-ML) led by Deepankar Bhattacharya, the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM), and Mukesh Sahani's Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP).
Additionally, Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj is also debuting in the fray. (ANI)