EC may ban broadcast of poll trends on counting day

One leading English channel stuck out its neck and declared that the NDA alliance had swept the Bihar polls much before final results were declared. This sent political circles in Bihar into a tizzy. The channel later, had to issue an apology saying that they got it horribly wrong.

The final results for assembly polls in five states — Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry— will be declared on May 19. These elections are being viewed by political analysts as a litmus test for the Narendra Modi government. 

A poor performance by the NDA may result in major  re-alignment in the country’s  political landscape. “What happened during counting day in Bihar gave us precious lessons. There was unnecessary confusion and rumour mongering. 

Things could have easily veered out of control. This time we are taking no chances. While channels might hope to increase their TRPs by jumping the gun and ‘declaring’ results first, it is highly irresponsible on their part,” a senior poll official told Millennium Post.