CEC asks media to introspect over exit polls, early trends

Media, particularly electronic media, need to introspect about the expectations that arise due to exit polls, chief election commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said as he criticised TV channels for displaying results on counting day before official counting even begins in a bid to justify their exit polls.

Chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar. (PTI)

“Because of expectations set by exit polls, a huge distortion is created. This is an issue that needs self-introspection, especially for electronic media,” he said as he called on self-regulatory bodies such as the National Broadcasters Association (NBSA) to regulate the media entities.

Kumar said that the Election Commission of India was not responsible for governing exit polls under the law but over the last few elections, a trend had emerged wherein news channels start displaying results from 8 am in the morning even as official counting begins at 8:30 am, as per Kumar.