The Editorial 06-12-2022 Exit Polls and their Regulations

INDIAN POLITY

06 Dec, 2022

Theme : Representation of People’s Act

Paper:GS - 2

TABLE OF CONTENT

Context : As voting for Gujarat elections ended, exit polls are out on the news channels.

What are Exit Polls ?

An exit poll asks voters which political party they are supporting after they have cast their votes in an election.
In this, it differs from an opinion poll, which is held before the elections.
An exit poll is supposed to give an indication of which way the winds are blowing in an election, along with the issues, personalities, and loyalties that have influenced voters.
Today, exit polls in India are conducted by a number of organizations, often in tie-ups with media organizations.
The surveys can be conducted face to face or online.

Issues :

Accuracy: Some common parameters for a good, or accurate, opinion poll would be a sample size that is both large and diverse, and a clearly constructed questionnaire without an overt bias.
Politicization: Political parties often allege that these polls are motivated, or financed by a rival party.
Manipulation for popularity: Critics also say that the results gathered in exit polls can be influenced by the choice, wording and timing of the questions, and by the nature of the sample drawn.

Exit Polls in India :

In 1957, during the second Lok Sabha elections, the Indian Institute of Public Opinion had conducted such a poll.
In India, results of exit polls for a particular election are not allowed to be published till the last vote has been cast.
The issue of when exit polls should be allowed to be published has gone to the Supreme Court thrice in various forms.
Currently, exit polls can’t be telecast from before voting begins till the last phase concludes.

Need of Polls :

Popular opinion: Polls are simply a measurement tool that tells us how a population thinks and feels about any given topic.
Specific viewpoint: Polls tell us what proportion of a population has a specific viewpoint.
Opportunity to express: Opinion polling gives people who do not usually have access to the media an opportunity to be heard.

Challenges with Exit Polls In Context of Elections :

Authenticity: Critics have often questioned their authenticity.
Manipulation of voters: This largely manipulates voting behavior.
Sensationalization by media: The media, on the other hand, invariably opposes the idea of a ban as seat forecasts attract primetime viewership.
Ridiculing the public mandate: The exit polls largely disrespect public opinions inciting confusion regarding the election mandate.

Limited Restrictions In India :

RP Act: The Indian Penal Code and Representation of the People Act, 1951 do contain certain restrictions against disinformation.
Restrictions on A19: While the Constitution allows for reasonable restrictions on freedom of expression, its mandate to the ECI for free and fair elections is absolute.
Supreme Court interpretations: The Supreme Court (SC), in a series of judgments, has emphasized this requirement.
Basic structure doctrine: It considers free and fair elections as the basic structure of the Constitution (PUCL vs Union of India, 2003; NOTA judgment, 2013).

FAQs :

ANS.

An exit poll asks voters which political party they are supporting after they have cast their votes in an election.
In this, it differs from an opinion poll, which is held before the elections.
An exit poll is supposed to give an indication of which way the winds are blowing in an election, along with the issues, personalities, and loyalties that have influenced voters.

ANS.

Popular opinion: Polls are simply a measurement tool that tells us how a population thinks and feels about any given topic.
Specific viewpoint: Polls tell us what proportion of a population has a specific viewpoint.
Opportunity to express: Opinion polling gives people who do not usually have access to the media an opportunity to be heard.