Election Commission press release · 2 April 2026 · pibtracker filter

General Elections and bye-elections 2026: Prohibition of display of Election Matter in Silence Period and Exit Poll

PRID2248316 MinistryElection Commission Released2 April 2026 Reading9 min

Posted On: 02 APR 2026 3:26PM by PIB Delhi Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the schedule for the General Election to Legislative Assemblies of Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal and Bye-election to 8 (Eight) Assembly Constituencies of Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Nagaland and Tripura on March 15, 2026. 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. Polls in the states are to be held as per the schedule given below: Name of State/UT going for general elections Poll Date Silence period Assam 09.04.2026 5:00 PM (07.04.26) To 5:00 PM (09.04.26) Kerala and Puducherry 09.04.2026 6:00 PM (07.04.26) To 6:00 PM (09.04.26) Tamil Nadu 23.04.2026 6:00 PM (21.04.2026) To 6:00 PM (23.04.2026) West Bengal 23.04.2026 (Phase I) 6:00 PM (21.04.2026) To 6:00 PM (23.04.2026) 29.04.2026(Phase II) 6:00 PM (27.04.2026) To 6:00 PM (29.04.2026) Accordingly, the Commission reiterates that the TV/Radio channels and cable networks should ensure that the contents of the programme telecast/broadcast/displayed by them during the period mentioned above 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 display of any opinion poll. 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 April 9, 2026 (Thursday) and 6.30 PM on April 29, 2026 (Wednesday) . Violation of Section 126A of the R.P. Act, 1951 is punishable with imprisonment upto a period of two years, or with fine or both. The Commission advises all Media houses to follow instructions in this regard in keeping with its spirit. ********** PK/GDH/RP (Release ID: 2248316) Visitor Counter : 9608 Read this release in: Malayalam , Urdu , हिन्दी , Marathi , Bengali , Bengali-TR , Assamese , Gujarati , Tamil Election Commission General Elections and bye-elections 2026: Prohibition of display of Election Matter in Silence Period and Exit Poll Posted On: 02 APR 2026 3:26PM by PIB Delhi Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the schedule for the General Election to Legislative Assemblies of Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal and Bye-election to 8 (Eight) Assembly Constituencies of Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Nagaland and Tripura on March 15, 2026. 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. Polls in the states are to be held as per the schedule given below: Name of State/UT going for general elections Poll Date Silence period Assam 09.04.2026 5:00 PM (07.04.26) To 5:00 PM (09.04.26) Kerala and Puducherry 09.04.2026 6:00 PM (07.04.26) To 6:00 PM (09.04.26) Tamil Nadu 23.04.2026 6:00 PM (21.04.2026) To 6:00 PM (23.04.2026) West Bengal 23.04.2026 (Phase I) 6:00 PM (21.04.2026) To 6:00 PM (23.04.2026) 29.04.2026(Phase II) 6:00 PM (27.04.2026) To 6:00 PM (29.04.2026) Accordingly, the Commission reiterates that the TV/Radio channels and cable networks should ensure that the contents of the programme telecast/broadcast/displayed by them during the period mentioned above 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 display of any opinion poll. 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 April 9, 2026 (Thursday) and 6.30 PM on April 29, 2026 (Wednesday) . Violation of Section 126A of the R.P. Act, 1951 is punishable with imprisonment upto a period of two years, or with fine or both. The Commission advises all Media houses to follow instructions in this regard in keeping with its spirit. ********** PK/GDH/RP (Release ID: 2248316) Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the schedule for the General Election to Legislative Assemblies of Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal and Bye-election to 8 (Eight) Assembly Constituencies of Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Nagaland and Tripura on March 15, 2026.</li> <li style="text-align: justify;">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.</li> <li style="text-align: justify;">Polls in the states are to be held as per the schedule given below:</li> <table align="center" border="1" bordercolor="#ccc" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" class="Table" style="border-collapse:collapse"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width:162.9pt"> Name of State/UT going for general elections </td> <td style="width:5.0cm"> Poll Date </td> <td style="width:191.1pt"> Silence period </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="background-color:#f1f1f1; width:162.9pt"> Assam </td> <td style="background-color:#f1f1f1; width:5.0cm"> 09.04.2026 </td> <td style="background-color:#f1f1f1; width:191.1pt"> 5:00 PM (07.04.26) To 5:00 PM (09.04.26) </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:162.9pt"> Kerala and Puducherry </td> <td style="width:5.0cm"> 09.04.2026 </td> <td style="width:191.1pt"> 6:00 PM (07.04.26) To 6:00 PM (09.04.26) </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="background-color:#f1f1f1; width:162.9pt"> Tamil Nadu </td> <td style="background-color:#f1f1f1; width:5.0cm"> 23.04.2026 </td> <td style="background-color:#f1f1f1; width:191.1pt"> 6:00 PM (21.04.2026) To 6:00 PM (23.04.2026) </td> </tr> <tr> <td rowspan="2" style="width:162.9pt">   West Bengal </td> <td style="width:5.0cm"> 23.04.2026 (Phase I) </td> <td style="width:191.1pt"> 6:00 PM (21.04.2026) To 6:00 PM (23.04.2026) </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="background-color:#f1f1f1; width:5.0cm"> 29.04.2026(Phase II) </td> <td style="background-color:#f1f1f1; width:191.1pt"> 6:00 PM (27.04.2026) To 6:00 PM (29.04.2026) </td> </tr> </tbody> </table>     <li style="text-align: justify;">Accordingly, the Commission reiterates that the TV/Radio channels and cable networks should ensure that the contents of the programme telecast/broadcast/displayed by them during the period mentioned above 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 display of any opinion poll.</li> <li style="text-align: justify;">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 April 9, 2026 (Thursday) and 6.30 PM on April 29, 2026 (Wednesday). Violation of Section 126A of the R.P. Act, 1951 is punishable with imprisonment upto a period of two years, or with fine or both.</li> <li style="text-align: justify;">The Commission advises all Media houses to follow instructions in this regard in keeping with its spirit.</li> ********** PK/GDH/RP " /> var mPlayer = document.getElementById("background_music"); var mPlayAction = document.getElementById("playbutton"); var isPlaying = false; function playAudio() { mPlayer.play(); isPlaying = true; document.getElementById('stopA').style.display = "block"; document.getElementById('playA').style.display = "none"; } function pauseAudio() { mPlayer.pause(); isPlaying = false; document.getElementById('playA').style.display = "block"; document.getElementById('stopA').style.display = "none"; } //function HandleAudio() { // if (isPlaying == true) { // //Playing already Pause it // pauseAudio(); // } else { // //Play the music // playAudio(); // } //} var synth = window.speechSynthesis; function CleanHtml(html) { html = html.replace(/ /gi, ''); return html; } function stripHtml(html) { let tmp = document.createElement("DIV"); tmp.innerHTML = CleanHtml(html); return tmp.textContent || tmp.innerText || ""; } $(document).ready(function () { //for responsive tables $("table").each(function () { if (!$(this).closest(".table-responsive").length) { $(this).wrap(" "); } }); var width = $(window).width(); if (width $(document).ready(function () { var width = $(window).width(); if (width @media print { .sticky-social, .sticky-social_mb, .pull-right, #printPDF { display: none !important; } } .f_vl { padding-right: 30px; font-size: 17px; cursor: pointer; } .log_oo { // width: 20%; display: flex; justify-content: space-between; } .log_oo img { width: 150px; /*width: 100%; height: auto;*/ } .sticky-social_mb { position: fixed; bottom: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; width: 100%; } .social_mb { list-style: none; display: flex; width: 100%; margin-bottom: -8px; } .social_mb a { padding: 8px 0px; font-size: 30px; transition: all 0.8s ease-in-out; 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height: auto !important; } h2 { font-size: 20px !important; font-weight: 600 !important; } h3 { font-size: 18px !important; font-weight: 600 !important; } } /* === Film Roll Badge Styling(IFFI2025 countdown) === */ .film-roll-badge { position: absolute; top:82%; right: 20px; width: 230px; height: 70px; background: repeating-linear-gradient( to right, #9a2375 0px, #9a2375 18px, #6e2b8b 18px, #6e2b8b 36px ); border-top: 8px solid #9a2375; border-bottom: 8px solid #9a2375; border-radius: 8px; overflow: hidden; box-shadow: 0 4px 12px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); animation: moveFilm 8s linear infinite; z-index: 10; } /* film sprocket holes */ .film-roll-badge::before, .film-roll-badge::after { content: ""; position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 10px; background: repeating-linear-gradient( to right, #9a2375 0px, #9a2375 10px, #fff 10px, #fff 20px ); left: 0; z-index: 2; } .film-roll-badge::before { top: -4px; } .film-roll-badge::after { bottom: -4px; } .film-roll-inner { position: relative; height: 100%; display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; animation: flicker 2s infinite ease-in-out; } .countdown-text { font-size: 1.3rem; font-weight: 700; color: #fff; text-shadow: 0 0 6px rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.4), 0 0 10px #000; white-space: nowrap; } /* === Animations === */ @keyframes moveFilm { 0% { background-position: 0 0; } 100% { background-position: 120px 0; } } @keyframes flicker { 0%, 100% { opacity: 1; } 50% { opacity: 0.9; } 25% { opacity: 0.95; } 75% { opacity: 0.85; } } /* === Responsive Adjustments === */ @media (max-width: 1500px) { .film-roll-badge { top: 68%; right: 18px; /* width: 220px; */ height: 65px; font-size: 0.85rem; } .press-section { margin-top: 35px; } } @media (max-width: 992px) { .film-roll-badge { top: 52%; right: 10px; width: 200px; height: 60px; } } @media (max-width: 768px) { .film-roll-badge { top: 56%; right: 10px; width: 124px; height: 55px; } .countdown-text { font-size: 0.9rem; } } @media (max-width: 576px) { .film-roll-badge { top: 59%; right: 5px; /* width: 160px; */ height: 50px; } .countdown-text { font-size: 0.85rem; } } const festivalStart = new Date("2025-11-20T00:00:00").getTime(); const festivalEnd = new Date("2025-11-28T23:59:59").getTime(); const countdownElement = document.getElementById("countdown"); const interval = setInterval(() => { const now = new Date().getTime(); // BEFORE FESTIVAL — show days + hours left if (now = festivalStart && now el.style.width = "350px"); clearInterval(interval); } }, 1000); //

Original PIB release
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General Elections and bye-elections 2026: Prohibition of display of Election Matter in Silence Period and Exit Poll

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