Archive · 16 Sep 2026
Election Commission Bans Exit Polls for Tamil Nadu Bypolls
The Election Commission has made rules for two upcoming Tamil Nadu by-elections.
People will vote in Madurantakam and Dharapuram on October 6.
Voting will take place from 7 a.m.
to 6 p.m.
Exit polls cannot be conducted or shared during the specified period on election day.
Exit polls are surveys that try to predict who may win after people vote.
Opinion polls and surveys also cannot be shown on electronic media during the final 48 hours before voting ends.
Anyone who breaks the exit-poll rule could face prison, a fine, or both.
The by-elections became necessary after two MLAs resigned and joined TVK.
By-elections in Tamil Nadu’s Madurantakam and Dharapuram constituencies are scheduled for October 6, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The Election Commission prohibited conducting, publishing, or publicizing exit polls from 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on polling day.
The ban also covers disseminating exit-poll results through any other means.
Violations of Section 126A may result in up to two years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both.
Election-related matters, including opinion-poll and survey results, are also barred on electronic media during the final 48 hours of polling.
- Who
- The Election Commission of India and the Tamil Nadu government issued the restrictions; voters will elect representatives in Madurantakam and Dharapuram.
- What
- The publication, dissemination, and display of exit-poll and certain opinion-poll results have been restricted around the by-elections.
- When
- The by-elections are scheduled for October 6, with voting from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.; the exit-poll prohibition runs until 6:30 p.m.
- Where
- Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu.
- Why
- The restrictions were imposed under Sections 126A and 126(1)(b) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
- Polling date
- October 6
- Polling hours
- 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Constituencies
- Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly constituencies
- Exit-poll ban
- 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on October 6
- Relevant law
- Sections 126A and 126(1)(b) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951
- Maximum penalty
- Up to two years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both
- Bypoll trigger
- Resignations of MLAs Maragatham Kumaravel and P. Sathyabama